


The World of Isolation

by Artemis_LeFay



Series: Free! Iwatobi Suiei Gods 2: Voyage of the Magic Six [1]
Category: Free!, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club - Fandom, Swimming Anime
Genre: Bloody, Boy's Love, Chiropterans, Earth, Hetero, M/M, Magic, Monsters, Multi, New World, Other, Profanity, Russian Revolution, Sexy, Shoujo-ai, Shounen-ai, Violence, Yaoi, Yuri, girl's love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-15 09:09:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 62,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1299478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_LeFay/pseuds/Artemis_LeFay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the planet of Duniya 18 years ago, a tragedy occurred in a small lonely village that triggered a war between several nations. The years of combat and conflict are tiring and there has been no solution in sight! However, a mysterious legend about the Six Stars finally awakens when our lovely Free!Boys from the previous saga begin to remember their past and must embark a journey to reunite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a direct sequel to the previous saga. You should be familiar what has happened in the past storyline before coming to read this one. It will only benefit you.

**_Free! Iwatobi Suiei Gods 2: Voyage of the Magic Six –Epilogue Story–_ **

フリー! イワトビ水泳神々二つ: マジックシックスのヴォヤージュ - エピローグストーリー -

**_Free! Voyage of the Magic Six_ **

フリー! マジックシックスのヴォヤージュ

 **-Book 1: The World of Isolation** **アイソレーションの世界** **(You are here) -  
**

-Book 2: Fellowship of the Magic Six マジックシックスのフェローシップ-

-Book 3: Eternal Promise 永遠のプロミス-

-Book 4: Mirrored Voyage ミラーヴォヤージュ-

-Book 5: Heroes of the Gods 神々のヒーローズ -

* * *

**~Author's Note:**

Welcome, my dear Free!Fans and readers! Welcome to a new Saga of the Iwatobi Suiei Gods!

This is a "direct" continuation of the storyline but what you will see in the prologue are some "sample" flashbacks that will become the foundation to what this Pentalogy (5 book series) is all about. I have previously stated on tumblr that there will be new "characters" based on real life history, new Original Characters, and of course, our new relationships of the Free!Gang!

* * *

I will add a recap on the "Suiei Gods" just so you are all familiar with their powers and abilities:

 **Suiei Nanase** \- The Leader of the Legendary Suiei Gods. His cool, yet strict personality has made sure to keep the other Gods together and will not hesitate to fight if he or his friends are threatened. He has the ability to heal wounds quickly when injured and like the other gods, he possesses a wide array of various abilities of manipulating the water.

 **Suiei Tachibana** \- One of the Legendary Suiei Gods with a more open-like personality. He is very cheerful like Makoto and is fearless, using his ability to teach Makoto on to stop being so scared easily. He has the ability to use various magical spells to change the liquids and composition of the water into another substance through a magical vase that he obtains.

 **Suiei Hazuki** \- The Deputy Leader of the Suiei and his powers include the ability to speak with the deceased. He is also cheerful and open like Tachibana and Nagisa but he is not afraid to snap off at a threat if someone tries to get in his way, his friends or anyone who is dear to him. Like the other gods, he possesses a wide range of water-based abilities.

 **Suiei Ryugazaki** \- One of the legendary Suiei Gods with the ability to see strategic tactics and holds a vary of powers such as healing others and can communicate to the animals no matter how bestial or dangerous they are. He carries a war hammer as his primary weapon and he allows Rei to use it in times of battle.

 **Suiei Matsuoka** \- One of the Suiei Gods with some of the more unusual abilities. He wears more of a warrior like outfit to appear more tougher looking. His powers enable him to see through the dark waters and night/x-ray/irregular light-vision as well as being able to perform swift moves similar to Tachibana. He is also learning how to develop his teeth into a more shark-like resemblance to add a "bite" to his power.

 **Suiei Marotta** \- The "Last Star" of the Suiei Gods created by the "Universe" like the other gods but was "put to rest" until his time to join up with the others occurred in the Modern Era with the "heir" of the final human host. His ability to understand emotions and feelings of others allows a sense of comfort to the people around him. He carries a wide range of water abilities like the other gods.

 *****NOTE:** _Full-Cast List will be displayed on the "FINAL CHAPTER" of the "FINAL BOOK" (Book 5: Heroes of the Gods)_

* * *

**_Previous Saga Recap: In case you are "tl;dr" types...  
_ **

**Part I: Early History**

Upon the formation of the Earth, the globe was nothing more but a giant fireball of fire, energy, and other dangerous molecules. The universe, knowing that its deepest secret could only be used to make miracles; unleashed its magic to create the droplets of water which then took on a sentience life…creating "Six" Gods that would prepare the world for eons of life. Five of the gods: Nanase, Matsuoka, Tachibana, Hazuki, and Ryugazaki were put into action while the final god, Marotta (Originally Unnamed) was locked away for safekeeping, deep in the depths of the lifeless oceans, resting and sleeping.

The five main gods spread forth the oceans and water, allowing life to form over millions of years to evolve. Their magical presence caused suspicion to the humans (after they finally came to existence) and a group of people coined the term "Suiei" for swimming, thus granting them their team name.

By the time of the height of Ancient Greece, the gods decided to take forth on human-like forms and visited the town of Athens, learning the civilization of the people living there. Friendships were made between some of the people while the "Final Star" was born as a hybrid of human and monster in the town of Macedonia. The gods visited the new baby, unknowingly that he would become their team in the modern times while Nanase suspected its significance to his people, giving blessings that would protect the boy at all costs.

Meanwhile, the gods were betrayed by the people who they thought they saved and were cursed and ended up locking away to a "time warp" dimensional void where they waited for thousands of years. But before they could be doomed to that fate, one of the people granted a wish for them to live on in five human bodies later known to be as Haruka, Makoto, Rin, Rei, and Nagisa. Fearing for the future, the gods placed a part of their souls into the boys before being sealed away by the darkness.

As for the baby, he grew to fighting the monsters and conquering the world before him, wishing to fulfill something he never embraced. He saw visions of the gods, never realizing their true importance. At the end of his conquest, he was betrayed by his own people and was poisoned to death until the "Last Star" reached out to him, foretelling his destiny in the modern era and placed a part of his own soul into his "human" future self.

**Part II: Time Loop Arc**

In hopes to live out in the Modern Era, the five main boys were born in Japan while the final star, Alex was born in the states. Four of them, Haruka, Rin, Nagisa and Makoto formed a team of their own while undergoing adventures and dangerous situations that would make them closer and closer to a team. Despite the hardships, they have won the race but Rin left for Australia in order to continue his father's conquest, becoming a change in the "balance" of the team.

Time passed and the trio tried to stay close together during their middle school years while facing new challenges with their schoolmates. By the time of high school, things grew a bit dark when a different "Rin" returns and is determined to defeat Haruka and fulfill his father's wish.

The fifth star, Rei showed up and became the new member of the team which caused tension to their long forgotten team mate. (This is where the storyline breaks away from the anime) Races began, friendships were tested and new bonds were made while they have forgotten who they "truly" were; the Suiei Gods.

Time passed and as the Iwatobi Team made it to nationals, one of the members disappeared without a trace. Knowing that the time was near for the gods to break free from their curse, they finally reached out to their human selves and guided them to rescue Haruka from the hands of a mad scientist, Daichi Kaede. Using resources from Deception MIA, the remaining gang tracked down and rescued Haruka from the Swim Cadet X but not without some painful surprises and revelations. Together, the five made it to the race together and won, becoming famous all over the country. Reuniting with the gods, the five gained their powers and vowed to be together once they finished their new year of schooling.

After a year of separation when Haruka, Makoto, and Rin were college students, the five finally reunited and shared horrifying events going around as people are being eaten alive and killed out of nowhere. Deciding to investigate this, the boys got help from a mysterious witch boy who provided them new information about their past and present as well as hinting about the future would be.

Collecting the three gifts, sharing their relationships through passionate love, trust, and hope, these five friends raced against time and discovered a horrifying secret about themselves and the gods; Arogean, the mastermind of their past triggered a Time Loop that would affect the boys by resetting the time back to the formation of the planet as a failsafe if he was unable to steal their powers completely each time. But by new revelations and shocking alliances from the past, the boys finally defeated the dark man and broke the spell, allowing living in a new life together as real humans, sacrificing the magic as the price.

**Part III: Heart of the Sixth Magic Arc**

Finally reborn again with memories intact and powers set to the side, the five friends (four at first) began to discover themselves once more and learned about their bondage to the Suiei Gods. Haruka, Rin, Nagisa, and Makoto won the relay race again but they vowed to hopefully find Rei in order to start a new journey once more. Finally, after many years of waiting and dreaming, the five friends finally rejoined together and began a new foundation of swimming!

By the time they were at the ages of graduation and college students, two mysterious visitors arrived in Japan. One of them, Alex, who would finally fulfill the "Six Stars", arrived with a curse embedded inside of him as he struggles to find means to heal his non-verbal Autisic brother, Sergi. After a chase between vengeance and swearing to protect, he finally gains the Suiei Necklace and uses his new-found abilities to heal his younger brother.

But times of darkness will not stop as the Tokyo Government and their secret resource, Haus of the Heavens tracked down while the hacking organization of Terran Nost fought back. It was later revealed that the Terran Nost were the ones who knew about the gods and guided their foreign friend to find them but new relationships between friends and lovers were made and formed to stay as a team. Together, they all fought and rebelled the Haus and brought the rising of a new order to the country.

Alas, the most important thing of Alex…his younger brother, was vanished by the hands of a deadly enemy who set up the entire madness of the storyline, the Shadow Mafia! These rouge of shadow beings prepared for the Six Stars by poisoning Alex and transferring his darkness to Rei in hopes for the two to form a bond and have the megane kill the foreigner and breaking the team apart. Tension rose between the team mates as the gang traveled to Italy to face the final confrontation. The dark plan almost was fulfilled despite the Suiei Gods making precautions about the boys' relationships since the beginning of the arc, but the team finally pulled it off and healed Rei before deaths were committed.

The final battle begins and a shocking revelation occurred; the Mafias were nothing more but classmates from Alex's hometown due to jealousy for his talent of swimming from long ago. After a long, massive fight, the Mafia were finally defeated but not without the cost of a life of a hero. But a surprisingly miracle was made when it when a promise was created back in the ancient times which enabled the price to be fulfilled as well as allowing the one lost to return at the cost of many payments.

The "Magic Six" team took on a new continent before them, Lynwin and trained up for a challenging race in the Iwami Stadium, promising to fulfill their destiny together both swimmers and heroes. After a memorable victory, relationships were finally settled as a new life begins on the new continent.

At the end of their reign, the gods were called forth to start a "voyage" that would take them to new worlds out in the universe before them. However…what has truly happened after the saga ended?

A lot of mysteries are still being asked…" _What happened to the boys while living on the continent?" "What are the new characters going to do in this new 'world'?" "Why are there such lands out there?"_

But most of all, _"What will become of the team in this new land?"_

_Welcome…fans…gather your members and team mates as **the long-awaited new saga begins!**_

~AveraxMagna

* * *

_**Prologue:** _ _ピース、カオスの時間の終わり_ _**End of Peace, Time of Chaos** _

**Planet Earth: Year 1918; the Russian Revolution, Yekaterinburg Russia**

A young lady scurried over her way across the dark forests as she could hear the shouting of men not far from behind. The forests were filled with shadows and the unknown as she ran deeper and deeper through the woods.

She was already horrified on what has been happening in the last several months of the Revolution but this night was almost as if she was living in a nightmare. From the family being under house arrest to Nicholas' abdication as Tsar of Russia, she could only wish that she would just wake up and see her beloved family again.

It all happened so quickly; at first they were taken to a shelter somewhere far from where they reigned but they were cornered and shot down one by one. However, an unexpected twist happened when there was loud booming coming from the outside and the traitors turned to see the ceilings collapsed down towards them.

"Run sister!" screamed Alexi but he got shot behind as he fell and blood poured out of his body which worsened his hemophilia conditions.

"Alexi!" screamed Anastasia as she tried to reach out to him but she saw the guns pointing towards her face. She rose up her hands and her legs were shaking in fear.

"Another step to your brother and you'll be with him!" hissed one of the Bolsheviks.

Before she could respond, another part of the ceiling collapsed as the captors freaked out and fled the area as the house was under attack by the Anti-Bolsheviks.

"Anastasia you must flee!" moaned Olga as the rubble fell and took her life, "GO!"

Anastasia turned to see her parents and her family all down on the ground, some of them were shot down while the rubble from above buried them. She heard footsteps coming from the stairs but was too frightened to see who the arrivals were.

The princess turned to see a small doorway that led to who knew what. She didn't hesitate and opened it and rushed through the exit, heading up a series of stairs back to the outside in the midst of a forest, running from there.

 _Oh this has to end_ , she thought, as she jumped over a log while her dress got caught in the twig. It tore off a part of her material but she kept on running.

"THIS WAY!" shouted one of the shooters as they traced the girl's steps through the mud.

 _I…I'm not going to make it_ , she thought, _everyone…mother…father…Alexi…Olga…Tatiana…Maria…I…I'm sorry…_

She tripped over a rock and fell into the dirt and grass as she could hear footsteps approaching to her. It was all going to end…here and now!

"Long live the Romanovs!" hissed one of the hunters as he pointed out his hand-held gun to Anastasia. The girl was so paralyzed that she couldn't even move away as she knew that she was going to die here.

"Воды небес ... защитить младшую девочку последнего государя!" chanted a nearby voice.  
( **English** : Waters of the skies...protect the youngest girl of the last sovereign!)

"Bastard! Where are you!?" growled one of the captors.

A blast of water encircled the princess as she was trapped inside. They fired the bullets at her but the water shield reflected the bullets back to them and they were shot down by their own fires. Once the men were down, a tall, blonde hair man appeared to the clearing and saw the water sphere as he already was told on what to do.

His mission here was completed as it was foretold by the witch.

"Tree-sama," said Abram Goldsmith, "Give her the means to protect her…and a place where she can survive for a while before she is destined to return here."

A series of Sakura petals few down and swirled around him and the princess as the water shield dissipated while a circle of light swirled beneath their feet, sending them to the void beyond dimensions. He picked her up while the princess was still unconscious from the cold and the horror but the man smiled to himself.

" _Anastasia...The Last Romanov…_ " he muttered, "Your journey has **_only_** begun…"

The world turned white as he carried her over to the Sakura Tree and saw the witch boy standing not far behind.

"I can see you," said Abram, "witch..."

"Indeed," replied Watanuki as he took a smoke from his pipe, "I see you have brought over quite a piece of legend."

"The Terran Nost's duty is to help those in need," he answered, "This path has been a pact since the dawn of the universe…when the universe made the Suiei Gods."

"The Sixth Star has not yet been reborn, and neither have the others. The gods still await them to be free from their curse," said witch boy, "However, it appears that this world will hunt her down for their own reasons…so with that said, she must be sent to another world…to hide."

"T-to hide?" asked Abram, "But why! Our organization is…"

"I am afraid that even as advance as your Terran Nost is…the Bolsheviks will stop at nothing to destroy the last of them," said Watanuki.

"And what about Maria, her grandmot-…" began Abram.

"She will never see her again," replied the witch boy, "For they will be watching her like a hawk and should she reunite with her, they will be sure to eliminate her and the former queen."

"Then where?" he asked, "Where the hell is she going to go!?"

"A world where the gods will go to once they fulfilled their mission here on Earth…" replied the witch boy while taking another smoke from the pipe, "Someplace where it can be a temporally relief."

"Then I suppose I got no choice," replied Abram as he could feel the age taking on him slowly, "I too will need an heir for my organization."

"You've been doing this for eons now, haven't you?" asked Watanuki, "And not once you have a need to form a family."

"As almost immortal that I am…I know that my days are coming to a close," said Abram, "I will name him…my son…Leon…"

* * *

**Copenhagen, Denmark; Months after the Downfall of Romanovs**

Maria Feodorovna stood from her balcony as she stared out at the sunset. She heard the horrible tragedy of her son and the family but reports of Anastasia's disappearance were still a mystery. Since then, she and a few of the survivors have been on the run to the western edge of Europe in hopes to avoid death and the rebellion.

She turned to see one of her guardians, Lilia Matevi standing by the doorway.

"Your majesty…we," began Lilia.

"No need to call me by title," sighed Maria, "It's no more."

"But still you have done all what you could," replied Lilia, "The train to Paris will be here soon."

The former empress nodded and walked her way over, knowing that it was almost time to leave this place and further go into hiding.

Anastasia…she thought, oh how I wish we could have fulfilled our promise together.

Lilia led her down to the steps and up to the carriage as the former empress sat down inside and continued forth her journey, knowing that there was no hope left for the land that was once her home and her family's home.

* * *

**Many Years Later: The Deep Space…**

The Suiei Gods soared through time and space as the stars, galaxies, black holes, planets, asteroids and the dust of matter swirled around them so quickly as if they were inside a spinning container. Memories of the past and present were also flashing around as they soared through the unknown void.

This journey lasted for who knows how long it was ever since they left Earth; to them it all felt as if time stopped and warped around and around in an endless transformation.

They have seen many different lands before them, some were friendly…others were deadly. However, they were not satisfied on what they were discovering and kept on moving. To them, the other worlds were not like Earth.

Waves of power struck them and pulled them around as if they were battling through the universe itself. Their powers were only dwarfed that to the "nature of the universe" but strong enough to defeat their enemies back on Earth.

"Brothers, it is time we fulfill our next step," said Suiei Marotta.

"You mean now is the time to do that!?" asked Suiei Matsuoka.

"There's not much time before we finally arrive at our next destination," argued Suiei Ryugazaki, holding hands with Marotta, "And also…"

" _The bondage must change…_ " said Suiei Nanase as he turned to Suiei Tachibana.

Suiei Matsuoka turned to Suiei Hazuki as they held hands to each other. They formed three pairs of the bondages as a glowing sphere of circle floated in between of them, holding their beloved human selves hibernating in their fetal positions. One sphere contained Rei and Alex, another with Rin and Nagisa, and finally with Makoto and Haruka.

" ** _This love, that continues to transcend time…_** " chanted Suiei Tachibana, looking into the eyes of Nanase, " ** _May they all swim…_** _"_

" ** _May they be free to change up and protect the ones dear to them…_** _"_ said Suiei Nanase.

Matsuoka and Hazuki stared at each other while the blonde was getting all acted up again and said, "I swear, no one really messes with my Nagisa!"

The other god ignored him and chanted, " ** _Oh waters of our past and future…give our hosts the strength and courage they will need to rebuild themselves…for the team!_** **"**

" ** _And give them a chance to form new precious bonds_** ," sighed Hazuki, " ** _And don't let them fall and wander into the darkness!_** "

Ryugazaki looked into Marotta's eyes and said, " ** _Waters of the calming, beautiful sea…allow them to fulfill their promise that they swore for each other_** _."_

" ** _And may their destiny no longer be a…_** **"** began Marotta when waves of power struck them, knocking them away from each other. The spheres that contained the boys dissolved away and blacked out.

"NANASE!" screamed Tachibana as swirls of energy trapped him in while the others were beginning to fade away and trapped in energy spheres also.

"What the hell is going on!?" growled Ryugazaki.

"BROTHERS!" shouted Matsuoka as he tried to use his powers to reach out to them but it was no use.

_Someone was waiting for them…it was hungry…very, very hungry._

The Six gods were trapped inside spheres of light as they saw six portals ahead of them, leading to who knew where!

"We're going to be separated!" screamed Hazuki as he tried to break free but the gates approached to them faster and faster.

"Waters of the angry sea go break the cage!" chanted Marotta but the spell did not even put a dent.

"I swear to whoever did this will certainly pay!" hissed Nanase.

They closed their eyes and thought about their beloved friendship amongst them and their human selves as the six gates swallowed them in, never to be seen again…

* * *

**Planet Duniya: Tragedy of Herisia  
**

The skies were filled with back and red as the fires burned across the landscape. All over, one of those "middle of nowhere" villages was filled with chaos as several monsters were slaughtering men, women, and children all around. Beasts with gigantic vampire wings gobbled on whatever they found to feed on the human flesh, ripping heads off, twisting arms off and drinking crimson.

An army of men from foreign lands heard the invasion and tried to defeat the beasts but none have succeeded in killing them. Two flares of light soared in the skies as a mysterious boy stood in the distance with a katana in his hands, staring out at the monsters and the village.

The beasts turned to see their new prey as the boy charged in with his eyes glowing red, slashing the beasts down in one stroke of his blade. One of the children saw the horror before his very eyes as he watched this mysterious visitor single-handedly killing them off.

The boy's eyes glow a brighter red rang as he felt the blood in his body going wild; screaming in rage and killing the villagers one by one as well. A blast of energy knocked him down but he got up a moment later and turned to see an army of men dressed in oddly designed clothes.

The army before him was unleashing blasts of some form of magic towards him as he dodged the attacks and sliced down a few of the men while screaming in silent vengeance.

A handful of the villagers tried to escape but they have only fallen to the blade of the monster as the child growled and screamed a bloody cry. He sliced more monsters off while slaughtering the people who tried to escape from the danger.

The child, frightened to watch all of this ran off in horror, fleeing to the forest but the boy turned to see him running for his life. He charged up to him and sliced him down to death while turning to see another monster and sliced it down as well.

"W-what is that thing!?" gasped one of the surviving men from the army as they fled, "And those monsters?!"

"Chiropterans…" replied the other, "…but that child, it's just as what the rumors have said. However, he is not a true monster for he is in a human flesh."

"What rumors?" asked the other guy.

"You can't possibly forget… _he's one of them…_ " said the first guy, " _Or rather…the only one…_ "

But before he could finish, they too, were slain by the monster before them. The skies were filled with smoke as the hunter fell to the ground, entering back to the period of resting; waiting for the day to rise once more.

* * *

In another faraway place, the blind stare-gazer, Kaarina slammed her staff to the ground twice before lifting it up to the air as streams of energy were unleashed, striking six different circles around her while chanting:

_"Six stars have traveled from afar…but divided they are as trouble struck them down before safely arriving here. Separated from each other, born in different lands…their destiny shall be set by their own deeds. They must embark together if they are to reunite the lost nations of our home before the bloodline meets its end. As one, they shall become the will…that destroys the heavens!"_

* * *

**Castle Chirotteri**

"So he's been spotted in the village of Heirisa?" asked Tesseract.

"Affirmative," replied Niygn, "I have seen it with my own eyes…apparently something went wrong with the hunt and he made a big mess. However, the watchers are taking him back to his nest to sleep again."

Tesseract nodded as he walked over across the chamber with Niygn where they headed to a crystal-gel ball filled with blood drops of red and black. To the left of the ball was a central star on the floor with six small gems in representation of the "legend".

"So my son is one of the six stars…" said Tesseract, "Does Pandora know about this?"

"Apparently she does not," said Niygn, "It is obvious that if she finds out you and your son will…"

"I know," he answered, "But even with what I can do…is only limited."

* * *

Pandora, the Queen of the Chiropterans hissed as she could hear the conversation from nearby. Ever since their son was born, a long, shattering prophecy was retold which feared her status as the queen.

_If this child reunites with the five other stars…your reign will end…_

_I will never allow that,_ she thought, _and now my husband knows where he is at…how delicious. I will be sure to bring his downfall when the time for my revenge is near. And Niygn…he'll certainly die before this can happen._

She walked down to her lair where she kept various vials of blood and specimens of various Chiropterans to herself. They were all experimented and created from using the powers of the 4th Dimension as well as the blood of the lineage.

Pandora flipped opened a switch as she saw the monsters emerging and breaking from the tubes.

"The time has come," she said, " _The War has begun! Go forth and seize them all! Do not let the Six Stars Fulfill the prophecy!_ "

The Chiropterans hissed and screeched as a handful of them jumped out of the window and soared into the dark skies.

She then walked over to an undestroyed stasis tube and smiled, whispering, "Don't worry my Rasputin…your time is almost here…again."

Pandora rested her hand on the glass and could feel the power coming from the tube. She knew that it was all in a matter of time before he could rise once more to take havoc and waste to this world.

 _As for that other_ , she thought, _I cannot believe he is still alive…I had hope he would die…but no matter, that's the job for my Rasputin…_

"To kill the other," she said, " _ **Rasputin…twin of your twisted brother…you are to kill him and stop the legend from coming true!**_ "

She laughed wickedly as the power radiated from the tube flowed into her body, knowing that the time is finally here.

* * *

**_~The Saga Officially Begins Serialization: Water Wednesday April 2, 2014!_ **

**_Count down your water days! This is a new saga of Free! and a sight that you've definitely NEVER seen!_ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 18 Years Later, the Paleolassa Ocean has suffered conflicts with Pirates from various clans! Two of the major ones; the Nanase and the Tachibana are at war with each other and both sides will ensure that their prey is defeated! Meanwhile, Rei Ryugazaki makes a shocking discovery after getting too curious about what happened in the Tragedy of Herisia!

**_Episode 1:_** ** _天ティアーズ_** ** _·_** ** _オブ_** ** _、戦争の夜明_** ** _け_** **_Tears of Heaven; Dawn of the War_**

**~18 Years Later: Paleolassa Ocean, Planet Duniya**

The ocean was home to the mysterious of familiar and unfamiliar boundaries between reality and the world beneath the waves. Duniya itself has faced an endless war for the last 18 years ever since that night of horror with the Tragedy of Herisia. The ocean surrounds the sole supercontinent of Neo Rodinia Magna with its majestic waves and the mysteries of the past, present, and future.

Two particular clans took their battles across the seas, fighting with swords, cannons and the sails. Many of them were defeated…but two powerful factions remain; the Nanase and Tachibana. These two clans hold the two "princes" that will take over their crew and become leaders that would continue the long-lasting war to conquer the ocean.

But little did anyone knew that the coming battle of these two pirates will result in a crashing, twisting ending… _and the beginning…of a legend...reborn._

_Two of the pirates…Makoto…Haruka…are the two of the legendary six stars…the Magic Six…the Suiei Gods!_

* * *

**The Nanase Pirates Clan:**

Haruka sat in his chair, looking over the map of the world with a sense of contempt. He was determined to end this war as he wondered what kind of a leader the Tachibana clan will have once it was time to face off. He took out a feather-quill pen and was about to write something when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in…" he answered.

The door opened and he saw Awlida and Shirahama, his First Mate and Quartermaster of the Nanase Clan.

"I see you're already up my captain," said Shirahama.

"A captain must always be on his feet," replied Haruka, "It is my duty to make sure we do not fall into the hands of our enemy…and to win…this war."

"What are you orders today?" asked Awlida.

Haruka looked at her in the eyes and said, "Just the usual day to day basis…I expect that we will arrive soon."

He turned to look at Shirahama and asked, "Did the issues get resolved yet?"

"Yes," said Awlida, "We found some new ropes to replace the old ones."

"Excellent," replied Haruka as he went back to his map before looking at them again. He looked to his left and right to make sure there was no one else eavesdropping before continuing, "Both of you do realize that the rumors have said about the Tachibana Clan and the bastard prince, Makoto…are said to be heading on our course."

The two remained silent as they were all aware about their enemy and the clan; this war was between the clans but the real combatants were Haruka and Makoto.

"Shirahama, what will you do with that prince of my enemy?" asked Haruka.

"I will attack him and push him to you so you can finish him!" replied Shirahama.

"His head shall be a reminder to all of the other pirates out there that only one true ruler of the seas can exist," said Haruka.

Haruka got up from his desk and turned to them, saying, "Come…let us go see our crew at their finest."

"Yes captain!" said Shirahama and Awlida as they both opened the door for Haruka.

The captain walked out to see his crew at work, hoisting the colors, cleaning the deck and doing other daily activities and maintenances for the ship. The sunlight shined peacefully all around the skies as the sea was calm as the clouds above. Haruka made a brief smile as he felt the breeze before he took back on his serious note.

"Captain," said Awlida, "What are you going to do with your coming of age?"

Haruka closed his eyes briefly for a moment before replying, "It's hard to imagine how many years it has been…that I made it this far. The ocean…the sea…all of the water…is alive…everything out there is alive."

"Well of course you made it," said Shirahama, "How else could you not make it with us at your side?"

"Indeed, after our last conflict, a lot of hands had to be chopped down on a minor ship," replied Haruka, "And in the end…they were only pests that needed to know their place."

"I don't understand how they could even think about winning against us," laughed Shirahama.

"Do I need to remind you that if I haven't killed those who tried to sneak behind you…you wouldn't be with us today?" asked an annoyed Awlida, "You're so full of yourself!"

Haruka could only chuckle silently before he replied, "We may be from different families…but we grew up here in this clan. I cannot thank both of you enough."

"You know how many times you saved our butts? Without you we would have died long time ago!" said Awlida.

"Well for sure we are a team that will never…" began Haruka when his eyes widened for a moment as he saw a strange, shadowed figure standing before him in a white void around him. The boy turned around as his face was covered by a mask before removing it to reveal his youthful, smiling face.

 _W-who is he_ , thought Haruka.

Four other guys showed up behind the boy as they all giggled happily and reaching out to Haruka as they all wanted him to embrace together as a team. Haruka gasped as he covered one of his eyes and the world turned back to reality, trembling at the sight.

"My captain!" asked Awlida, "Are you okay?"

"I…I am fine," he replied, "Just a strange headache."

Haruka walked over to the front end of the both with the two as they finally saw an island at their sightings.

"LAND HO!" shouted Shirahama as the cannons were fired in relief.

"So um, what island is this exactly?" asked Awlida.

"The Island of Ackins," muttered Haruka as he took out a smaller copy of the map.

"Hmm…maybe there'll be a pool of water or some lake to swim in?" she asked teasingly, "Or maybe a waterfall?"

Haruka blushed as the first mate laughed, "Oh I know how much you love the water…you even did sleep talking about how romantically you are attached."

Shirahama could only face-palm at the situation but he sort of chuckled to himself and had to agree with Awlida.

"Maybe I should go swimming with you," she continued, "You know we used to swim a lot when we were kids…so…what's stopping us from doing it now?

Haruka turned to her and asked, "You really want to?"

Awlida blushed a little and said," Well of course I want too!"

"I second that," replied Shirahama, "I haven't swam with you guys since ever!"

Haruka looked at both of them and replied, "I…I guess we c-could but…Awlida…you…uh?"

"I'm what?" What are you trying to say?" she asked, confused.

The captain turned himself around as he blushed a bit more, saying, "N-nevermind…sorry. I Just feel that we're all adults here and that…wouldn't privacy bother you?"

Awlida blushed finally as she understood what he was saying but she kept her composure and replied, "Of course it won't bother me! We grew up together like a family…even if we're not blood! I'll just wear one of my old robes and stuff so you don't have to worry!"

"It won't bother me and you don't have to worry Awlida there is nothing to see," said Shirahama.

The ship finally arrived at the Island of Ackins where the trio along with a handful of the crew members got off and row their boats to the shoreline. Haruka was already amazed by the sight of the island as the sand was white as snow and the forest looked extremely dense.

"I want to explore it!" said Awlida as she turned to Haruka and Shirahama, "Are you guys going to join me to search for water and food and stuff?"

"It's obvious we won't be leaving any time soon," replied Haruka as he checked again his map.

"Captain what you want us to do?" asked one of the crew members.

"Our orders wait for your command," said the other.

"See to that this site here is set up for our stay...I shall join with Awlida and Shirahama for a hike or two," replied Haruka.

"Yes captain!" they both replied with a bow.

Haruka turned back to Awlida and Shirahama and said, "We'll start from here."

"Well then, let's go," replied Shirahama.

Awlida was already energetic and dashed into the forst, "C'mon you guys!"

"Oi! Awlida!" shouted Haruka as he rushes after her.

Shirahama sighed and shook his head while going after the two, "Awlida! Don't go so fast! We don't know what can live on this island!"

Awlida stopped and turned to the guys and said, "Aww, are you not excited to see what it hides?"

She looked around at the beauty of the forest and continued, "We'll have to find some fresh water anyway…so we might as well…"

She started to dash off again when Haruka grabbed her arm and said, "We'll have to stay together…this is certainly an island that hasn't been explored for who knows how many years. We do not know what has happened to this place."

Awlida sighed and replied, "Yeah, yeah…Haru-chan."

"C-could you stop using the –chan?" blushed Haruka.

Awlida giggled as Shirahama caught up to them and they continued to explore their way deeper into the forest, wondering what kind of dangers or beauty to expect and encounter.

* * *

**Elsewhere at Sea…The Tachibana Pirates Clan!  
**

The Tachibana Clan were facing off against a horde of Oorn as the crab-like mollusks with tentacles of all sizes attached the ship and tried to find weak spots to break.

Makoto, the pirate prince fired several shots from his hand-held guns at the monsters while the crew were readying the cannons.

"FIRE THE CANNONS!" he shouted.

The crew took aim and unleashed several blasts at the oncoming Oorn. The monsters screeched at the attack but resumed its move against the ship.

Anne turned to a tentacle that almost grabbed her and slicedit down while shouting, "Cut off the tentacles! Aim the cannons at their legs!"

"FIRE AT THE LEGS!" shouted Makoto as the crew took aim and fire. The damage this time was significant enough as the monster screamed and lost several tentacles but it opened its pouch and unleashed several smaller crab-like Oorns onto the ship

"Watch out for their pincers!" shouted Makoto.

Matsuura sees the smaller monsters on the board and starts to slice them and toss them away, "Don't let them unleash more of them!"

The crew was still firing at the main monster as the beast growled for a moment before finally moaning in defeat, sinking into the waters down below. The crew cheered in victory as Makoto sighed in relief but there were several smaller Oorns to clean up from.

"Defeated but the mess requires cleaning," he muttered.

"We have to find some kind of port or island to repair the ship," said Matsuura, "Do you know what route we are on that can lead us somewhere?"

Makoto walked to the edge of the ship while replying, "It's probably best to know the extent of the damage first before we can calculate where we are at."

Anne turned to see Makoto looking out at the distance. She had not seen a silent expression on the captain for a long while, at least not by the way he was staring out at the sea.

"Anne!" said Makoto, "Go check the lower levels."

"Yes!" she nodded while she and another crew member went downstairs to the below deck to check for any leaks and holes. From what they found, there were several holes on the starboard but none were deep enough for the water to flow in.

"Go check the other side," she said to the random crew.

Back outside, Makoto kicked a small lone Oorn off and sighed.

 _These beasts are becoming more fierce and dangerous_ , he thought.

"Ugh I hate these things!" growled Matsuura, "They're always attacking us as if we are the only ship in the world that they find!"

Makoto could only chuckle as he replied, "It would be a shame that if we missed an opportunity with our lovely bastard...should these beasts attacked theirs before we did."

Anne returned to the deck as she saw the two talking. She walked up to them and reported, "Captain, there are some holes in the right side of the ship but the left side is surprisingly intact."

"How deep are the holes?" asked Makoto, "Is there any sign of water leaking?"

Anne nodded and said, "One hole is deep but it's not enough for the water to get in. But it's best that we can close them off as soon as possible.

"Very well," he replied as he walked into his office while Anne and Matsuura followed him.

"You stop trying to act like you are the king of the world!" said Anne, "I could hear you from a coastline away! I know you hate fighting with those things but you can do nothing to stop them! You can't order them to stop attacking us!"

"Do you have to be so serious?!" growled Matsuura, "I only said it would be better for us if they stopped attacking us! Do you like fighting them?! Then be my guest and take them on yourself!

"Do you have a bunch of seaweed instead of brain?!" she snapped, "Of course I don't like fighting them! But I can't be a fucking optimist like you and hope they will stop!

"Well excuse me for hoping for some calm day after fighting those monsters every week instead of searching for this bastard Nanase!" shouted Matsuura, "We would've found him and his stuck-up gang if they haven't attacked us!"

Makoto's eyes grew sharp as he heard that name and said, "ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!"

Anne and Matsuura stopped and grew speechless at first as they both stuttered in reply, "We-we're sorry, Captain! We forgot you hate hearing it! We won't say it again!"

Makoto sighed and answered, "It doesn't matter...not when we will face him sooner or later...right?"

The others shrugged while the captain continued, "It is said that two of the strongest ships will fight to the finish...and only one shall become king of the seas."

The two looked at each other and nodded as they recalled on the rules about the ocean and the code of the pirates.

"Despite our damage from the Oorn," said Makoto, "We still carry powerful weapons. We will not rest until they are defeated…I've heard that their leader is obsessed with water to the point that he is at fixed romantic relationship. It'll be a perfect decoration for the ocean with his dead body floating and sinking in."

"Yes," agreed Anne, "It would be a beautiful sight to see him dead, wouldn't it?"

Makoto turned to the map and checked on the markings of the route as well as the compass. The ship was heading in an east-bound direction.

"It appears that we are heading to the Island of Ackins, based from the westerly winds going on," said Makoto, "There are two of them actually; twin-islands."

"So we're nearby?" asked Matsuura.

"It may take another day or two," predicted Makoto, "But go tell the crew about our path and we'll prepare for set up on our arrival."

"Aye, aye!" smiled Matsuura as he leaves the room while saluting.

Anne cleared her throat and asked, "Captain, what are we going to do after we reach the island?"

"Hm? Well we need to settle in and get some trees for the wood to patch up the holes on the ship…we can only hope that there are trees available and in strong quality," he replied.

Anne nodded before continuing, "Of course. But captain, when do you think all of this will end? We would have found HIM a week ago if those monster haven't attacked us... I just want to all of this to end!"

Makoto noticed that she was feeling troubled about something and it was bothering her bad. He closes his eyes for a moment and remembered when Anne first came here to his crew.

"I am sure something will happen…but it's been 18 years since the war started. You and I both know that it did not initially happen at sea…but rather in that lone village," he said.

"My father told me a few things about it before he disappeared," she replied.

"Y-your father?" he asked.

She nodded and continued, "H-he was there when it happened. He changed after that and disappeared when I was six years old. He left one day without saying goodbye."

Anne felt like she wanted to cry but she cleared up her throat and said, "Well I am sure he had his reasons to leave."

"You have since then joined us, and quite a young age too after we first met" replied Makoto, "Did you intend on finding him?"

"At first it was my reason," she answered, "But as time passed…I started to lose hope. All I want is this war to end…the same war that changed my father."

"We can only hope that our victory will end it all," said Makoto, "After all…"

_Makoto…Makoto…_

_Who, who was that_ , thought Makoto as he heard his name, "D-did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Anne, "Are you alright Captain?"

He looked down at the map and said, "Perhaps it was a headache…I've been thinking too much lately."

"M-Makoto?" she asked.

The captain got up and walked over to the window and said, "I expect that we'll arrive by sunset."

"Very well," answered Anne, "I'll go and tell the others. You should rest and don't stress about yourself. You will win the final battle."

He turned to her and smiled, "Thank you."

* * *

**Island of Ackins, Larger Island**

Haruka, Awlida, and Shirahama were already deep into the forest while the crew members were busy assembling a post and grounds for themselves.

Awlida heard a noise of water nearby as she called out to the others, "Hey you guys! I think there's some water nearby!"

Haruka rushed after her as quickly as possible since he was longing for something to swim into. Shirahama tried to catch up as well while the other two were sprinting like wildcats.

"Awlida! What did you find!?" he called out.

"You won't believe it! It's the most beautiful sight I have ever seen!" she replied.

Haruka arrived at the scene as he sees a massive waterfall and a lake right before their eyes. Shirahama bumped into Haru and realized what the sight they were staring at was amazing.

"Ok, I get it that this looks beautiful and all but stop acting like there's a **_god_** there…" said Shirahama.

Haruka's head felt like it was spinning just after the last statement that Shirahama said. He saw a strange flash of light floating before him and saw a floating, human-like being with robes of white and blue and a long-navy blue hair with blue eyes.

Haruka rushed into the water to follow it while forgetting to strip off his clothes as the water around him came to life and revealed images of battles and friends from a distant past.

 _W-who are they_ , thought Haruka as he fell into the water.

"HARU!" screamed Awlida as she rushed in to save him, "Shira, help me get him to safety!"

"Awlida, stop!" he argued, "Maybe what he needs now IS water!"

But she wasn't listening as she got Haruka back on his feet but his eyes were glowing bright neon blue as he muttered, "S-Suiei…S-Suiei…"

"H-HARU?!" shouted a panicked Awlida, "Wh-what's with your eyes?! Shira?! Look at this!"

Awlida lost her grip on him as he fell into the water again and Shira rushed in pulled him out with his brute strength.

"HARU!" he shouted, trying to push on his chest to get him back, "Can you hear me!? Say something?!"

Awlida was already freaking out to the point that she was crying a little, "Haru!"

Haruka finally woke up coughing as the water puked out of his mouth and breathed heavily as if he woke up from a long dream. He turned to see Awlida hugging him tightly as she cried out, "I'm so glad you are awake! I thought something bad happened!"

The captain turned to the waterfall and said, "I…I feel like I've seen this waterfall before…perhaps it was only a dream."

"You scared us over some kind of dream?!" snapped Shirahama before realizing that he was shouting at his captain.

"I've been lacking sleep," said Haruka, "Something like this happened to me before when I was a child…I couldn't sleep for a period of time…perhaps weeks. And now it's happening again."

Shirahama grunted in guilt for yelling at him and said, "I-I'm sorry…I shouldn't have yelled at you like this captain."

"How can we help you? Do you need some kind of medicine? Special tea? Water?" asked Awlida.

"Would you call someone mad if they've seen this place before...like in a different life?" asked Haruka.

"No...At least I wouldn't call you mad. You didn't get any sleep lately so maybe this is the reason..." answered Shirahama.

Haruka nodded and said, " _The water is alive…once you dive in it, it will immediately bare its fangs and attack. But there's nothing to fear. Don't resist the water; thrust your fingers into the surface and carve an opening…_ "

He stopped as he saw another vision before him as he sees himself and four other guys standing together with medals and a trophy for their team as he heard an echo of voices, _"HARU! HARU-CHAN! HARUKA-SENPAI! HARU! HARUKA!"_

Haruka blinked his eyes twice and was back in reality while Awlida and Shirahama were staring at him with a bit of a concern.

"Haru, are you really feeling alright?" she asked.

"Maybe you should take a nap or something," suggested Shirahama, "Just rest and we'll look for something to eat."

Haruka shook his head and said, "No. We must keep going."

He got out of the water and took off his top and squeezing the water off while his inner shirt was see through, revealing his shining, muscular body. Awlida was already blushing at the sight and covered her eyes while Shirahama chuckled to himself. Haruka took off his inner shirt as his top half of his body was exposed with its sheer beauty.

"Well, aren't you guys going to tag along?" asked Haruka.

"Of course," smirked Shirahama while Haruka shook his clothes to dry.

"Uh…maybe we can go look for some fruits or nuts?" asked Awlida while trying not to look at Haruka.

"What's the matter Awlida?" asked Haruka.

"Oh it's n-nothing," she muttered as she was feeling embarrassed.

"Awlida, are you blushing?" laughed Shirahama as he took off his top and shirt and squeezed the water out while his body was chiseled with muscles at its finest, "You shouldn't be embarrassed, we grew up together."

Shirahama moved in closer to her and whispered and smirked, "Did someone have a crush on…?"

"Oh shut up!" she whispered loudly, "Don't tell anyone!"

"Hehehe," smirked Shirahama, "I'll keep your precious secret as long as you…"

"Come on you guys!" shouted Haruka as he put the clothes back on, "We're heading back!"

"Right!" they both replied.

The three continued their way into the forest, heading to some sort of a small clearing that was nothing but rubble and ruins of some kind.

"Wow! Look at this!" said Awlida as she rushed down the slope and saw what looked like a strange-looking lake filled with some black-ish/brown-ish waters along with some sort of floors and walls of an unusual design.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Shirahama while going down the hill with Haruka, "How about you?"

Haruka looked at the glass shards and the bricks around and muttered, "That water looks too suspicious…"

Before he could finish, the area began to rumble and shake.

"W-what was that!?" said Shirahama.

The pool of water in front of them exploded out as two gigantic Byatis Frogs emerged out. The trio readied their swords for battle as they saw the frogs standing before them.

"Let's kill those monsters!" said Shirahama as the Byatis croaked deeply and unleashed their claws.

The first one jumped towards them but the trio narrowly dodged the blow and split off from each other.

"Try cutting off the legs!" shouted Awlida as she tried to avoid the other Byatis.

To their surprise, the Byatis unleashed a set of tentacles from its back and they were heading towards Shirahama. The pirate readied his sword and sliced many of them down as much as possible, "TAKE THAT!"

The Byatis screeched out in pain and withdrew for a moment while the other one tried to reach Haruka with its pinchers. At the last second, Haruka dove down and almost cut off one of its arms but missed.

"AWLIDA!" shouted Shirahama as he tried to reach her but Awlida was caught by the tentalces from the Byatis. She screamed out for help.

Haruka turned to see her as his eyes glowed neon blue again while unknowingly chanting, " _Waters of the knives…slice down thy prey to shreds!_ "

The Byatis saw the oncoming blast of waters at them as the monsters screamed with their bodies being torn up while releasing Awlida from their grip. The two turned to see the monsters exploding into shards from the spell as they were stunned by the sight.

"w-what happened?" asked Awlida.

"H-how…did it get all quiet?" asked Haruka as his eyes turned back to normal.

"H-Haru!?" replied Shirahama, "You did this! You don't remember what you just did?"

"That's enough Shira," answered Haruka, "Let's get going."

"I uh…okay," he replied while getting Awlida on her feet again and the two followed Haruka through.

 _W-what was that_ , thought Haruka, _my body felt like it wasn't my own…_

* * *

By late afternoon, the Tachibana Clan arrived on the smaller of the Island of Ackins. Makoto took some rest earlier and felt much better. After the group arrived, they were in a need for some supplies to fix up the ship as well as preparing the grounds.

Makoto looked at the sunset and said, "I guess we'll have to make haste and quickly use what there is available."

"Maybe we should look for some fallen trees near the beach?" asked Anne.

"Definitely but we need to get a campfire started too," he answered.

He turned to Matsuura and said, "Go prepare the rocks for the campfire as well as setting up the area for sleeping."

Matsuura nodded and turned to the rest of the crew and beckoned them to prepare the project.

"I'll go look for some wood," said Anne.

"Is it okay if I go with you…?" asked Makoto, "I…I just want to clarify some things."

"Of course," she replied with a nod.

The two walked to the forest nearby and once they were safe enough to talk, Makoto explained, "So what you said before…you think there's a monster more deadly than our enemy? You said it was a monster that kills monsters…who would've thought of that."

Anne kept silent to herself but knew that this was going to get intense of a conversation.

"No matter," said Makoto, "I'll see to this monster after the end of Nanase…"

Anne's eyes widened as she remembered what her father used to tell her about the monster as she replied, "My captain! Please don't go look for it! My father said that it killed many people! I beg you…I don't want you to die!"

"Maybe that's true…but a monster needs to be put down," he replied, "Your father said that it was called a…Chiropteran?"

Anne nodded and said, "That's how my father called it."

"Our clan long before we were born has fought them…but many of them fell," said Makoto, "I remembered this after reading the diaries that were kept hidden to my ancestors. It was said that the Chiropterans had unusual powers that not even the strongest warrior defeated all of them. I think this is why we are out at sea…because no one wants to come across of the monsters."

"Why can't we just go back and stay there!?" she snapped, "The monsters and the battles are getting harder to fight and I'm getting sick because of this!"

Makoto turned to her as her face was tearing up a little. He decided to give her a hug and said, "That's why…we're here. We will end this war once and for all. I promise."

Anne blushed a little but embraced the hug with some hope and relief; Makoto felt nice and warm.

"Now then," said Makoto, releasing the hug, "Let's go find some wood and prepare ourselves for the night shall we?"

"Yes," she nodded as they began to collect some of the broken wood pieces from the trees.

* * *

**~The Northern Regions of Neo Rodinia Magna:**

**Aeuropa City**

On the northernmost region of the superconducting of Neo Rodinia Magna lies a gigantic, massive, futuristic city that was home to a wide range of technology-ecological friendly resources. One may say that it was almost a utopia but corruption and power still thrives through the government that rules there. The Sakura trees bloomed as the warmer weather was beginning to arrive in the city.

Deep down in the jungle of buildings lies a massive campus of education for all ages; from childhood to college students. At one of the more distinctive colleges, the students there had to fulfill a final exam research project that would enable them to transition from undergrad to graduate student. One of them…Rei Ryugazaki did an undergrad project on general mythology of Duniya as well as the Gods of Iwatobi and Sametsuka before specializing in a more intense project through the subject.

Many of what was said about his ideals were impossible, but little did many know that he was born from a wealthy family that specialized in the toughest hacking systems that would otherwise be considered illegal across the city. However, this family made several pacts with other organizations to keep the projects a secret.

"Did you hear what that kid is doing on his project?" asked one of the random students.

"Oh I've heard what he was going to specialize in," said another, "That stuff is beyond top secret…he'll be arrested by the government if it gets too viral."

Rei walked past them while fixing his glasses in the megane look while maintaining his composure. He knew that people were going to talk about and laugh off his project but he knew that this was perhaps the key that would unlock the answers that may help end the war in other nations.

 _It all began when the war started 18 years ago, some kind of monster killed people there. The survivors said the name of the monster is "Chiropteran",_ thought Rei, _Its powers though, I wonder…does it has something to do with "Six Stars"? What or who was this monster? I need to research it. Maybe I will visit some nearby towns and ask some war veterans if they know something._

After finishing his classes for the weekend, he took a trip down across the city to the Elder's Center of the city, asking them questions about the tragedy that occurred.

"It was horrific," said the elder guy, showing a scar on his leg, "A beast that carried a sword! My friends were slaughtered during the madness!"

"But the beast didn't look like as if it was a monster…he looked almost like a human, normal being," said the second elder veteran, "But his eyes were lit red as fire."

Rei wrote down the information in his note book and asked, "Can you tell me more about him? Did he say something? Have somebody try to talk to him?"

"No one could even try to go near him," said the elder woman, "His power was too great. However, there was a strange group of people that ran towards him…perhaps they managed to take care of him."

"Hmmm…" said Rei, pushing his glasses to his face, "Well then, I need to ask you all something. Do you know anything about the Legend of the Six Stars?"

The three elder people blinked their eyes and looked at each other.

"It…it was said that six upper beings have come from a land of afar…and settled to this place," said the second elder man.

"But that's quite an old wives' tale if you ask me," shrugged the first one.

"I think it sounds absurd if you try to think that such a tale is linked to that incident," replied the woman, "Why would a killer let along this…Chiropteran be one of the six stars?"

"I don't know why," said Rei, "But I have a feeling it's somehow connected. Something happened 18 years ago and perhaps you think it's something part of a bigger plan?"

The first elder man shook his head and replied, "I think it's best that you let it off from your head...it would only drive you mad as we were if you keep pursing this."

"I…I can't let it go. Thank you for the conversation," said Rei as he got up and left while the elders remained silent and wondered what would become of this person.

* * *

Rei returned home to his family's mansion and sat up on the computer all night, trying to use from what he learned both past and present to look up and hack anything possible.

He went through several firewalls and government secured websites that were filled with riddles and obstacles to go through. It was not an easy task and he had to make sure he was not visible to the government or else he would end up in the hands of the security agents.

"This is taking longer than I expect," he muttered, "A different code…ah-ha! Perfect! Now what's in these files?"

He clicked on the folder and saw several photos and realized that they were from the tragedy 18 years ago. He saw a man carrying a sword as well as the people fleeing for their lives.

"W-who is this?" asked Rei, "I mean, this is what I needed…but he seems familiar…like I've seen him before."

Before he could further explore, his mind was elsewhere as he saw himself talking to someone in a different place. The other boy in his vision smiled with tears of joy while hugging Rei and was happy to know that he was feeling loved.

**_You promised that I wouldn't go berserk when I was under the spell... you saved Haruka and I from the illusion from the Haus of the Heavens...you talked to Leon about my safety..._ **

The voice was getting more familiar as it spoke inside his mind. Rei could feel his eyes getting wet with the tears.

**_If we lived another life again...I want to be with you...I'll be waiting..._ **

"Whose voice was it?" asked Rei, "I should remember this person! He was someone special for me. Someone I could trust and…"

"Rei…" echoed a deeper voice that belonged to Suiei Ryugazaki, "You have been alone far too long! You kept shutting out people and closing yourself in your room! You kept searching for the answers even when everybody said you won't find anything...I am so proud of you! Keep searching and you will find what you are looking for!"

"Th-that other voice…" muttered Rei as a tear spilled from his eye and dripped onto the desk, creating a heart-shaped necklace before his eyes and it glowed a purple color.

"The SUIEI GODS!" gasped Rei as he recognized the necklace, "My…my necklace!"

"Rei…" echoed a familiar voice as Rei's vision changed again and saw the boy whom he finally remembered who he was.

This boy arrived in Japan back on Earth and was troubled initially but Rei offered him his hospitality and got to know him a bit. He initially didn't trust him since he was spying on someone and tried to take revenge on another person while promising to protect his brother. However, this child ended up with Haruka as his soul mate which hurt Rei in a sense that he took a while to get to understand Haruka but was later manipulated by the Shadow Mafia and he almost killed the one before his eyes.

"Rei…I'll be waiting," said Alex as the boy smiled and reached out to him.

Rei gasped as he tried to hug him but the image changed back to his room as his eyes were filled with tears, remembering Alex as he cried. He remembered the boy as if it was only yesterday that they ruled Lynwin-Mu and the friendship of the team.

"Oh Alex…" said Rei, his hands covering his face from the tears, "My love…ALEX!"

**~Episode 1 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 2 PV~**

**Haruka** : A great battle waits for the two of us! Who shall win?

 **Makoto** : I will defeat you Haruka! My team will outlast yours!

 **Haruka** : Oh really Makoto? You are a stubborn mackerel that needs to be cooked and eaten!

 **Rei** : But there's more to what it seems to be for our friendship and the pool! I just began to remember who I am and who I swore my promise to!

 **Rin** : But what about Nagisa and I?

 **Nagisa** : Rin-Rin, we'll be on sooner or later! There are plenty of episodes for this season! Our time will be in great quality!

 **Alex** : Next time, Free!, " ** _Dangerous Boy; Monsters in the Danger_** "… _the time of awakening has begun!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the coastline village of Iwamara, Alex Rover comes home to his usual happy life with his siblings, Anya and Aki and his mother, Georgia. However, things are about to change when history begins to repeat itself in a curse that lies in the heart of the “legend”. Meanwhile, the pirate clans begin to set up their war against each other while Rei desperately finds his “beloved” one thanks to a vision he saw. Will he find him or will it be too late?

**_Episode 2:_ ** **_危険な少年、_ ** **_危機に_ ** **_モンスタ_ ** **_ー_ ** **_Dangerous Boy; Monsters in the Danger_ **

**Iwamara City, Tottori District**

The village of Iwamara was rather a peaceful sight as the village rested on the coastline; there were several hills and touristy areas for travelers. Towards the downtown region, there were several shopping areas as well as the all-famous Iwamani Multi-purpose stadium.

At the Iwamara High School, a lone boy stood on the diving block with a group of others as he readied himself for practice in the water.

"On your marks, 3…2…" said Rocko before blowing the whistle to go.

The group of boys jumped in and soared their way across the pool, reaching to one end and back with ease. However, it was like feeling the ocean at its roughest part of the storm. But one of the swimmers didn't care if he made it back first or last, he only cared for his own timing if anything…but even that he didn't matter. All he wanted was to enjoy the water to the fullest.

Alex Rover reached the wall after going through the 100 meter freestyle and took a handful of breathes and saw that his time was 1 minute and 46 seconds.

 _Not bad_ , he thought, _but I hope to make my family happy when they'll see me in the race._

Rocko whistled and said, "Alrighty team! That's good enough for today's practice! We'll continue tomorrow evening."

The guys got out of the pool while Rocko turned to Alex and said, "I would like to have a word with you…after you change."

Alex nodded and went to the locker room to change up and made his way over to the office where Rocko sat down at his desk and offered the boy a seat.

"You have done quite exceptionally well," said Rocko as he handed him a paper of some event coming up, "This is for a relay that I would like for you to try."

"Well it's only been a year or so that I've been here," replied Alex, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," he smirked, "Why else did I ask you for?"

"I see," nodded Alex.

"Is something troubling you?" asked Rocko.

Alex shook his head and smiled, "Oh no. I'm fine."

"Well then, I want you to think it over and let me know by the end of this week, okay?" asked the captain.

"I will, thanks for the offer!" smiled Alex as he took the paper and left.

* * *

Afterwards, Alex returned home from school as he was in a hurry to help his sisters and his mother prepare for the Friday Night Club Time. His mother, Georgia was the manager at a local bar called Lynhaven's. (This place is a home as well as a bar) His two sisters, Anya Rover and Aki Rover were also in school but their schedules were much different than his.

"I'm home!" he said as he walked into the bar and saw his mother wiping the counters.

"Oh hey!" said Georgia, "How was your day sweetie?"

"It was okay…except that I screwed up on my physics project…sadly I didn't get the full credit," he answered, "But swim class today went well though!"

Anya and Aki walked into the room and saw Alex unpacking his things.

"Hey onii-chan!" smiled Anya, "What's the matter?"

Aki remained silent as she watched Anya and Alex talking together as the brother explained some of the things that went on today.

"You'll do great, okay?" said Georgia as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I know it's a lot for you after living here for a year or so."

"Yeah!" he replied, "I'll do my very best!"

"That's the spirit," smirked Georgia as she walked over to the bar and prepared some soda pop for the kids.

 _Somehow, that water_ , thought Alex, _it feels like I've been in it before…but what's there to remember anyway?_

"Is something wrong?" asked Aki as she took a sip on her grape soda.

"No it's nothing," replied Alex, drinking his root beer.

The phone rang by the counter and Georgia went to pick it up, "Hello?"

"It's almost time," said the reply.

"Why are you calling at this hour?" she asked.

"You know what has to be done…you don't have any idea how much you are putting yourself at risk. That child is…" replied the answer.

"I know that," she snapped, "I saw what happened too! But…even still, he's a son to me!"

"You have certainly forgotten his true origin," replied the voice, "He was built to fight, fight, and fight. You can never change him no matter how long he lives with you. Your true son is already dead…"

"JUST LEAVE IT!" she snapped as she slammed the phone down and almost broke into tears.

"M-mother!?" asked Anya and Alex.

Aki remained silent and stared at her two "siblings", wondering if the time was about to begin soon. She knew what was going on behind the scenes but she had to wait and wait until that fateful day arrives.

"Sorry about that," said Georgia, "Why don't we get this place decorated for tomorrow night? It'll be Friday Fun Night so we better get ready!"

"Okay!" replied Anya and Alex as the two got up and prepared the decorations while Aki sipped on her drink some more.

By the time the others were done, Alex walked upstairs to his room to change his clothes. For some odd reason, he could feel that something big was going to happen soon and he wasn't sure if it would be better or worse.

 _Things are going to change, I can feel it,_ he thought.

He walked over to the window and stared out at the sea before him; it was vast and endless. While it's true that the coastline was used for beaches and what not, he was always curious to wonder who would be out at such seas.

Alex turned around and walked over to the mirror as he did a quick fix on his hair and stretched his neck while smiling. All of a sudden the image change as he saw himself covered in blood for a split second.

"Eh-eh!? W-what was…?" he began and he looked down at his hands and saw that they were covered in blood. He freaked out and looked away before looking at his hands again which were as clean as a whistle.

"N-NO!" he screamed.

He turned to see Anya and Aki standing by the doorway to his room.

"Oni-chan!?" asked Anya.

"Brother, what's the matter?" asked Aki.

Alex turned to them and hugged both of them saying, "I…I just…"

"Don't be afraid to tell is if something is bothering you," said Aki, "After all, we're a family now even if we're not related by blood."

"Yeah, we got your back!" smiled Anya.

"T-thank you," he nodded and sighed in relief.

* * *

Meanwhile, Georgia walked down the stairs from a trap door behind the counter of the bar and took out a key to open the cabinet. Inside was a katana of some kind but she was informed that this was only used as a temporally thing before he could re-obtain the real sword.

"The Dragon Kopis…" she muttered, recalling the dragon sword, "But this is only a regular slaying katana...the real one…"

She saw a red glowing of light on the sheath as she realized that the time for awakening was getting closer and closer.

"Your awakening is near," she said quietly before closing the door and locking it.

* * *

The trio returned downstairs after several minutes where they saw dinner ready at the family table. They were all stunned at the sight of the recipes here.

"I made some new stuff here," said Georgia, "I figured you want to try them out."

"Uh…is that mackerel on the pizza?" asked Aki, looking at the fish.

"Huh?" asked Georgia, tilting her head in confusion, "I…never heard of such a thing."

"Never mind," sighed Aki as she sat at the table.

"Well it all looks delicious here that's for sure!" smiled Alex as he sat down to try the pizza while Anya took the bowl of chips and salsa.

Aki took the regular pizza and sighed to herself, remembering the mission that she was told to do and looking at the pizza that Alex was about to eat gave her memories already from long ago.

 _Haru,_ she thought, _just why did you end up with him?_

Alex took a bite of the mackerel pizza and for a moment, he saw an image of a boy in a bathing suit with black and purple colors while another with black and blue who was much taller. He gasped and dropped the pizza down.

"W-what's the matter!?" asked Anya.

"I, it's nothing," he answered as he shoved more food in his mouth.

 _What's going on with me_ , he thought, _why do I keep seeing things?_

"Well kids, what do you think?" asked Georgia.

"They're great!" giggled Anya as she took her sip on the root beer.

"They really are," said Aki, trying to maintain her friendly composure.

"Y-yeah!" agreed Alex as he was smiling, "I really love the food that you make mom!"

Georgia turned to look at the time and said, "Well it's getting late now. You three should get some rest."

"But mom!" whined Anya, "It's only 9 PM! I wanna stay up…!"

"Now, now," replied Georgia, "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for the bar and your school activities."

"I do feel a little tired," said Alex, "Thanks for the dinner!"

"Come on Anya," sighed Aki as she dragged her pouting sister up to the room while Alex climbed up to his room.

Georgia walked through the bar and opened up a storage chest, taking out a handful of papers and photos. She looked at her three children living happily together in the photos; they spent a lot of family time together. There were photos of Alex swimming, Aki and Anya at the beach together and other photos that she would never forget.

She turned to the other folder that said "CONFIDENTIAL" on it and opened that up to see the photos of the massacre 18 years ago. Georgia wouldn't believe this but she knew what was informed of and had no choice but to bear the responsibility.

Before she could try to put things together, Georgia heard a knock on the door. She walked up to open it and a tall man stood in his uniform and a fedora on.

"Why have you come here?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I told you earlier," said Takeshi Kale, "There isn't much time left. The higher ups have reported an increasing activity of the 'mice' going around. And it's not just the one, their cousins without the heads are making their way too."

Georgia sighed as she sat down while taking out a beer for herself.

"I gave you Alex last year because he was not remembering himself like he normally should," said Takeshi, "But you already know what has happened to him 18 years ago during the emergency mission on Herisia."

"I know what I saw," she growled, "But even still, he's my son."

"Are you forgetting what his true nature belongs to?" asked Takeshi, "He's not one of our kind."

"I don't care," said Georgia, "He doesn't deserve to suffer such fate…not when he even realized that he did to that village!"

"But there's more," said Takeshi, "Not just of his current nature…"

"More?" she asked.

"You may have heard a long forgotten legend about the Six Stars," he replied, "It is said that six beings from another world would come to this place and end all of our troubles. Back when he was fighting the Chiropterans, before that incident, something happened to him on the night of the full moon and he was crying and screaming about the six stars and names of the people…including himself."

"Now that's a surprise," said Georgia, "To think that that I would raise him...honestly I rather see him as a happy-go-student than to have the burden of his past life...before and after the incident."

"Holding him back will not stop the war...only he and the others can put an end to the war that's been going on," answered Takeshi, "And assuming if the other five stars are out there…"

"I know, I know," she sighed, "They shall become the team that destroys the heavens."

After a moment of silence, Georgia asked, "Tell me…do you know where the others are at?"

Takeshi shook his head and answered, "I'm afraid not..."The Watchers" are keeping an eye out on things but as soon as the others regain their memories, they will emit a radiation that we can detect...but so far there has not..."

His cell phone suddenly rang and he answered it, "Yes? Huh? You're kidding! Well then, it's time we make our move…thank you."

He closed the phone, got up and made his way to the exit but looked back at her, saying, "I will give you one day to talk to him."

Georgia sighed as the man left while she closed her eyes to remember what happened that fateful day…

* * *

**Flashback: 1 Year Ago…**

It was a cold, rainy day when Georgia stood inside the ruins of some ancient temple as she watched a naked boy in cloth around his waist emerged out from the tomb that was covered by a marble table. She had her gun at the ready, pointing at him if he would to become a threat.

The boy had long, dark-brown-ish hair with golden eyes as he innocently crawled his way over but was having a hard time getting up. Georgia pointed her gun towards him and waited for any signs of him become hostile.

 _How, can I do this_ , she thought, _he's only a child! And yet The Watchers gave me orders to…_

The boy looked up at her and smiled while reaching out to her leg. Georgia stood there in shock and couldn't fire the gun as she saw his innocent, confusing face.

"Ke-ke-ke-keeeeee?" asked the boy.

Georgia sighed and took out her cell phone and muttered, "I guess we got no choice"

* * *

**Iwamara Clinic**

"He'll be alright, his pulse is normal," said the nurse.

"I see," replied Georgia as she looks at the boy resting peacefully, "So you knew of the man Takeshi also?"

"I am a member of the Watcher's but my job is more of that as a normal nurse. When I heard you have discovered our weapon of Duniya, what I was going to do?" she answered.

The two turned to see Takeshi arriving in the room as the elder man watched the boy resting.

"I see you had no problem handling him in," he said.

"It's just as what you told me," replied Georgia, "He doesn't remember anything. He only looked at me and smiled."

"I spoke to the higher ups and they said that you should adopt him as your son," said Takeshi, "He is after all…in need of comfort after all of those years of fighting and sleeping."

"I…" began Georgia.

"I'll let you decide on that," he replied as he walked out to the hallway.

Georgia sat down on a chair and rested her hand on the boy's hand, wondering what she would do with him and her two daughters Aki and Anya.

 _Maybe I shouldn't take him in_ , thought Georgia, _but I want to…I've lost my real son long ago…I really would love to have him._

From there, she decided to take care of him and be part of the family with the two sisters; Aki and Anya. They became the Rover Family that worked at a family bar of Lynhaven's. The family spent a lot of their days going around the beaches, downtown, visiting their friends from school and other beautiful things that would be memorable.

Alex…Anya…Aki…three children, each with their own mysterious origins from the past. But now, they were together as one family in a happy paradise. But these days are coming to an end…as a dark shadow begins to fall on the city.

* * *

**Present Day: Next Morning**

Alex woke up with a yawn and stretched himself, "A new day."

He smiled and put on his casual clothes of shorts and a track shirt since he was going to go out running for a bit to exercise. He got downstairs and Aki and Anya eating breakfast but the mom was nowhere around.

"W-where did mom go?" asked Alex.

"Well she left a note here; it said that she was going to go to the markets to buy more decorations for tonight," replied Anya.

"I see," he answered, "I do need to talk to her though…"

"Anya, it's getting late," said Aki.

"Oh onii-chan," said Anya, "I want to see you in a race!"

"He doesn't have classes today, remember?" asked Aki.

"Well…I might go to the school though to talk to Rocko," replied Alex.

"Oh? Did Rocko recommend you for an event?" asked Aki.

"Well that's what I wanted to talk to mom about. I'll just go find her," said Alex as he got his shoes on and took a bagel before running out the door.

"He's so lucky," sighed Anya, "I wish I was like him."

"Now, now," replied Aki, "Let's just our uniforms ready, okay? This is not the time to whine."

* * *

Alex rushed his way through the villages, running up the slopes of the hills. He made his way to the main road that was next to a massive forest that led to the countryside of the region. He ran only a few pace when he stopped to hear a low growl of some sort.

"W-what was that?" he asked to himself.

He waited a few moments but saw a few cars passing through.

 _I might just be imagining things_ , he thought as he dashed off, continuing to search for his mother.

* * *

**Aeuropa Metro Train Station**

After remembering Alex, Rei began his journey to find tickets for Iwamara after hacking into various phone directories and identifications that were stored in the government. It was not an easy task for that there were a handful of other towns besides Aeuropa but there were at least a few Alex's in some of the towns that were somewhat close but not as close to. Based from the hacking and information; he got Iwamara as his destination.

 _I need to find him_ , thought Rei, _I got so many questions…and I think he'll have some of the answers I need._

He touched his Suiei Necklace as it glowed a faint purple color.

 _I wonder_ , he thought, _do the six stars wear these things? I begin to remember Suiei Ryugazaki and the others…but it's still all a mystery of where they are from and how we are tied to them._

He turned to see the train arriving at the station. After a few seconds of slowing down, it stopped and opened the doors for the passengers to leave. Rei made his way inside and made his way into a first class cabin for himself to pounder and figure out loud.

His cell phone suddenly rang and he answered, "Hello? I'm on the train right now so I can't hear you. I will call you later, okay?"

He hung up as he didn't even get to hear a word of warning from his classmate or something. It didn't matter to him; he was going to be on this mysterious adventure.

"The Aeuropa Metro thanks you for riding with us today," spoke the announcer, "The train is heading for Iwamara. We would like to remind you that for safety precautions, please keep all devices turned off as the train departs until it is safe to use them."

Rei hung up his phone and turned to see an advertisement poster with a penguin on it as he heard an echo in his mind, _"Rei-chan! Rei-chan!"_

 _Wh-who was that_ , thought Rei.

**_Please I beg of you! Is there a way to save my brother!_ **

_So that was Alex just now_ , thought Rei, _but who kept calling me with the –chan; I don't seem to remember that…_

**_Rei, my sexy butterfly…REI!_ **

_That voice just now_ , thought Rei as he continued to hear the voices, _This person was special to me…WAIT…SEXY BUTTERFLY!? Who would call me that!? Oh gosh, as embarrassing that it is…I have to remember them all!_

His eyes glowed neon purple as his necklace glowed brighter, casting him into a world to the side where he saw the five other boys reaching out to him.

"Rei!" smirked Rin, "My sexy butterfly!"

"Rei," said Haruka, "We are a team now!"

"Rei," smiled Makoto.

"Rei-chan!" giggled Nagisa.

"Hey there, Rei," smiled Alex.

Rei realized that he was part of the Six Stars and the other five showed him confirmed that these other guys had to be somewhere on the planet...especially Alex. It all made sense now to him; they were all together as a team even though several relationships were put to the test by others and villains alike,

There were many people that were flashing in his mind; the citizens from Greece, the Deception MIA, the Terran Nost, families and dangerous enemies such as the Shadow Mafia and Arogean.

"I promise you", muttered Rei, "Alex…I'll find you and we'll be together as we swore to fulfill!"

* * *

**Island of Ackins**

Haruka sat down on the sands with Awlida and Shirahama and reflected on what was happening in the last 24 hours.

"It's been a day now," said Haruka, "We'll need to go deeper into the island."

"Hmmm…as much as I love to explore the jungle, I think it was a bit risky…considering what happened yesterday," replied Awlida, "I suggest that we should go collect stuff we find on the beach. Perhaps we might find something."

"There's nothing much else," answered Haruka.

"Awlida, are you scared by what happened yesterday?" asked Shirahama.

Haruka got up and replied, "I guess something needs to be explored. Let's go!"

"Let's go then!" agreed Awlida as she and Shirahama got up and followed their captain. They traversed through the sands and rocks as the waves gently clashed at the shoreline. The skies were generally sunny with several clouds but nothing dark yet.

"So far it seems alright," shrugged Haruka.

"Yeah it looks clear to me," said Shirahama.

"Hey you guys!" said Awlida as she picked up a seashell and listening it to her ear, "You can hear the ocean!"

Haruka closed his eyes for a moment to feel the ocean before his eyes but he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and a voice was echoing his name quietly. He turned violently and readied his sword but saw no one.

 _What the hell was that warmth_ , thought Haruka.

"Did you see something Haru?" asked Awlida, getting suspicious again.

"Haruka…" echoed a deep voice, "Remember…"

Haruka put his sword away and said, "Never mind that, let's keep moving."

He turned to see a giant wall of rocks and began his climbing upwards to the top. Shirahama and Awlida rushed to the base and began to climb up as well.

Haruka made his way to the top after a few moments but his eyes widened in shock as he almost lost his grip on the rocks.

 _They're here_ , thought Haruka as the others just arrived to the top and were in shock as well.

"Is that what I think it is?!" asked Awlida.

"It's them…" snarled Shirahama.

"But look, they're across from our island there but it's obvious they are nearby. No doubt that our conflict will begin soon," said Haruka, "Shirahama…I need your binoculars."

Shirahama handed his over and looked through to see a handful of the Tachibana crew members but couldn't find their leader in sight at first.

"I'm going back to warn the others, okay?" asked Awlida as she began to climb down.

"Very well…" said Haruka, "Shirahama and I will…oh!"

He finally saw the Pirate Prince Makoto and his first mate, Anne carrying some supplies to the post.

* * *

Makoto felt as if someone was spying on them so he dropped the stuff and readied his sword but saw nothing suspicious.

"Did you see something?" asked Anne.

"No…but I feel something though," replied Makoto, "Almost as if we are being watched."

"Hm, then I guess we'll have to do some more exploration then," she answered as she put the supplies in a pile while Makoto dropped off some wood in the other.

"We also need to play a game of tag," said Makoto, "food is the essence of our energy."

Anne turned to Matsuura and asked, "Did you get everything set up?"

"Yep!" he answered, "We're all set to go!"

"I'll go with you!" said Anne, "We'll both play a game of tag to hunt down our food and our prey!"

* * *

"Let's go," said Haruka, "We'll need to strategize and plan our attack."

The two began to climb down to catch up with Awlida as Shirahama replied, "I can't wait to show them who is better!"

The two rushed up to Awlida as she turned to see them and waited.

"We're going to set up an ambush," said Haruka, "But we cannot charge up at them until there is a break on their numbers."

"But we also need to decide who should join and others to guard our ship," nodded Shirahama.

"The prince is mine to kill," answered Haruka, "It's not worth capturing any of them…just pure slaughter."

"Hehehe," smirked Shirahama.

"Let's do it **_for the team_**!" said Awlida.

Haruka nodded as the world around his vision changed again. He saw a massive Sakura tree unleashing its petals at him, swirling around his body.

"W-what!?" he gasped.

"Haru…my dearest Haruka…wake up," echoed the voice of Suiei Nanase.

Awilda and Shirahama gasped as they heard that voice as well while the ocean flared to life and a swirl of water floated in front of Haruka, morphing and transforming into a sliver necklace.

"H-Haru!?" gasped Awlida but the waters blocked her from reaching him.

"W-what is this!?" said Shirahama.

Awlida gasped as she somehow realized that the necklace was very familiar to a story that she somewhat recalled long ago.

Haruka opened his eyes and saw that the necklace was on him, "Strange…I feel that this is important. But no matter, let's get a move on!"

He walked on ahead of the others while they looked at each other and began to question about their leader and these strange events happening lately.

"Do you remember the story your grandma told us?" asked Awlida.

"The one about the Six Stars?" replied Shirahama.

"Yes! Remember how she told us about some kind of powers the stars will have?" she asked again.

"Wait a sec, you think Haru is one of them!?" answered Shirahama.

"I don't know what to think anymore...I mean all the things that happened recently?" she said, "And now with this necklace... I just don't want to lose him!"

"You won't lose him!" he replied, "Haru will be our captain no matter what will the outcome of this war will be! I will gladly die by his side if it means we are to be together forever!"

Awlida was not having it though, she knew something was going to be twisted soon but she had to keep the rest of it to herself. She nodded and they ran, catching up.

 _I don't believe he's one of them but even if it turns out he is...I will support him... I promised him_ , thought Shirahama.

"Sooo..what's the plan?" asked Awlida.

"We'll have to set up an invasion by night...but we should set up an outpost too before we can make any attempts to go out and fight them," said Haruka.

The others nodded as they all knew that this upcoming battle was going to have to end in their favor, otherwise something will change and who knows what it will be.

* * *

**Iwamara, Tottori District**

Alex ran for at least an hour or so but could not find his mother. He had no idea where she had gone as he checked several of the other stores nearby but had no success.

 _She wasn't in any of the stores here...where could she have gone? Back home_ , he thought.

He stopped running for a moment and tried to breathe out when he saw a flash of blood and fire for a moment which frightened him.

 _N-not this again_ , he thought as he began to see more visions of blood and monsters all around.

"ST-STOP IT!" he shouted as he pressed his hands against his head.

But it was too late…his eyes flickered red and for a moment, he saw his mother standing at some strange looking ruins. He got back up on his feet and ran faster than his normal speed, arriving at the base of a stairwell that led to the top.

He climbed his way up and saw a temple-looking place before his eyes and saw Georgia inside, staring at the table/tomb. He rushed up to her but the mother didn't turn her head right away to see him.

"I was wondering when you will begin to **_wake up_** ," she said.

"W-wake up?" he gasped, "What are you talking about!?"

"You recognize this place?" she asked.

"A…a little," he replied as he turned his head to the side.

"This is where you and I began…one year ago. This place…" said Georgia.

"H-here?" he asked.

"Today… _you are my son_ ," she replied, "Tomorrow, _your new life begins_."

"W-what are you talking about?!" he cried, "My ne-new life!?"

"The phone call yesterday was someone that requires your assistance…he entrusted me to watch over you along with Aki and Anya as my children," she explained, "They are not your true siblings as we have already discussed that matter."

"I know that," he answered, "But what will become of them!?"

"I am not sure," she replied, "But they will get help that they will need…"

"You're going to abandon us?!" he cried out as his eyes briefly turned red.

"You are not human…" said Georgia, presenting his sword, "It's time that you take your…"

Before she could finish, the two heard a low growl as a Chiropteran climbing its way in and saw them. Georgia tossed the katana to him but Alex did not understand any of this.

"This is a temporally sword…your real one is hidden elsewhere," she said, "GO! Get out of here!"

Before Alex could reply, Georgia took out her gun and began shooting at the oncoming monster, shouting, "Alex is my son…I won't let you TAKE HIM!"

The monster hissed and growled and the two sides charged up at each other while Alex stood in shock and fear, too frightened to even see what was going to happen. The monster slashed at Georgia as she fell to the ground, bleeding a puddle of blood from her body.

 _No, no, please stop it_ , his mind screamed, _STOP IIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT_

"M-MOTHER!" he screamed as his eyes turned red completely. His voice turned from innocent and happy to a darker and violent tone while unsheathing his katana.

" _Sword of my blood_ ," he chanted in his deeper voice, " _Take forth of thy prey before me!_ "

The Chiropteran hissed and charged at him but Alex dodged to the side and pressed his thumb to the edge of the blade as he scraped his blood across the katana. The monster tried to slash him down but the boy was not going to end up dead in this place. However, the visions of blood and war were filling up in his mind as he screamed in anger and propelled himself to the monster, kicking it down with his brute strength unleashed.

The Chiropteran growled and made another attack but Alex dodged down and drew the blade at the waistline of his prey, slicing it through slowly at first but his newfound strength allowed him to push it through like butter. The monster exploded in half and collapsed to the floor as the blood splattered on his face and clothes.

" ** _You are beginning to wake up…my dear brother…_** " echoed a deep voice.

Alex immediately recognized it and replied back, "Where are you…bastard!?"

 ** _"I guess I haven't been able to contact you for 18 years…"_** replied the voice, **_"My dear…look at yourself. You failed to protect your mommy while your true mother…"_**

"Don't say that about her again!" he screamed as he jumped his way outside and landed on the trees.

He saw a flock of Chiropterans making the way to the city as he could hear the cries of people screaming. A part of him still wanted to find his siblings even though he had more problems in his mind that required his attention.

"Aki! Anya!" he screamed deeply as he jumped through the trees and charged into the city as the monsters began to feed on the people.

Meanwhile, Takeshi Kale and a handful of other masked beings walked into the temple and saw Georgia's slain body on the floor.

"It has only begun," said Takeshi, "What something is lost…cannot be put back…isn't that right?"

* * *

The massacre in Iwamara was unexpected and horrifying as Alex continued to slice down the monsters...he could see the past of him slicing monsters in Herisia but he only cared to defeat the Chiropterans to protect the people of this village...that is perhaps a major difference between how is today compared to his past.

 _Aki, Anya_ , he thought as he sliced his way through the monsters. He saw several of the humans trying to escape from the invasion but continued to fight off the monsters as much as possible.

* * *

Aki dragged Anya through the streets as they tried to make their escape from the town. Anya was already freaking out in horror over the sight of the monsters as fires erupted out and people being killed left and right.

"W-what's going on!?" she asked.

Aki looked at her sharply and said, "We don't have the time to worry about this…you on the other hand…you got a different agenda to perform."

"W-where are you taking me?!" asked Anya, "Where's mom!?"

"Mom is not going to help us anymore," said Aki as she turned her head to a corner of a building and saw that the area was clear of monsters. She dragged Anya through the streets as the weather began to turn rainy and dark.

"As for our destination," she continued, "Someone is going to be our new mom if you put that in words."

"What about onii-chan!?" asked Anya, "I can't leave without him!"

"…he's not our brother," said Aki, "but you already know that we were adopted. As for his fate, he will continue to fight and fight…"

"Fight?" she asked.

"The monsters you see…Chiropterans," she continued, getting annoyed by the minute, "Alex is one of them."

Anya gasped as she almost wanted to cry, "O-onii-chan…"

The two climbed their way up to the hill as they got onto the main road while several cars were soaring by to escape the monsters while some of the vehicles slipped and fell down the hills. The girls got into the forest nearby to hide themselves.

"My name is Aki Yazaki," said the girl, "I am from another world. I was set to be in this world thanks to witch boy who enabled me to do a mission here…for the sake of the six stars."

Anya gasped as she remembered hearing the rumors about it back in school as she replied, "T-the six stars?! You mean you knew something about that!?"

"The Suiei Gods are beginning to recover their human hosts…but each of them have been altered and twisted. For example…Alex is a chiropteran…Makoto and Haruka are pirates…and the others…" she explained before sighing to herself.

"The others…?" asked Anya, confused.

"This isn't the time to discuss," said Aki as she got up and grabbed Anya's hand, "We must go and find Jadwiga! You must remember who you are!"

"W-what?!" she asked, "What's there for me to remember!? I want to live together again!"

"You're not just a random girl Anya…you're a princess," said Aki, "And not just any princes…"

Anya gasped as she seemed to recalled strange dreams about dancing in the halls and celebrating with people but how could all of this be true?

"You are _the Grand Duchess **Princess Anastasia Nikolaevna** of the Romanov's Empire of Russia_ ," finished Aki.

Anya's eyes widened in shock as she collapsed to the ground as more visions and dreams were slowing hitting onto her but she didn't want to think about all of this; she wanted her old life with Alex and Aki…right?

Aki sighed and carried Anya in a bridal-style and moved out, continuing the journey away from the destroyed town.

 _What happens afterwards…is up to them,_ thought Aki.

* * *

The train finally arrived by early evening as Rei was stunned to see a bunch of policemen at the station. The passengers that got off were told by the police to stay and wait for the next train to depart. Rei got off and was stopped by one of them.

"The village of Iwamara has undergone a horrific incident; our forces are assisting the survivors to their needs. We ask you to wait and leave on the next train," said the policeman.

"Well I have to find someone and waiting here is not an option," said Rei as his glasses flared with a light, running off to the exit.

"HEY WAIT!" shouted another policeman, "Get back here! Where do you think you're going!?"

Rei dodged the policemen and jumped his way through the gate and landed on the other side as his necklace glowed a path ahead of him. He realized that this had to be the way to get to the village so he made his way through the path and down to the woods while the policemen tried to find him but used their walkie-talkies to send out the word of an intruder on the way.

 _I have to find Alex_ , thought Rei, _I have a feeling that he's here…he has to be alright!_

As Rei got closer to the sight, he saw strange looking monsters dead on the ground; slain by one clear cut with blood trail leading to the village ahead. The site was up in smoke in several areas while many of the people were dead. It was a bit horrifying already to Rei but he had to find the one most dear to him.

A Chiropteran jumped behind him as the megane barely missed the attack and his eyes were widened in shock to see a gigantic monster. Before he could scream out, a boy with the sword jumped from behind the monster and slew it in half before jumping into the forest.

 _W-what was that_ , thought Rei, as he saw the bloody mess before him, _how was it so fast…? Could it be Alex? No…I need to think this through…no time to jump into conclusions yet._

After arriving through the destroyed village, he saw several of the houses either in flames or destroyed but he saw a half-destroyed bar where it was once the residence of the Rover Family. Rei entered inside and saw a box of photos one of the dining tables.

"Wait! It's Alex...But who are the other people?" muttered Rei as he looked through a collection of the pics. There was a photo of Alex, Aki, Anya, and Georgia together at the beach and a few other cute family photos. All of them looked so happy together.

Rei turned to the documents and read them carefully, looking for answers about the tragedy and his boy.

"Hmm…so they switched his last name from Marotta to Rover…" he muttered, turning over another photo to see a strange looking boy with longer hair and carrying a sword with blood all over.

"W-wait…" he gasped, "This…is this Alex!? No…it couldn't be him!"

He flipped the photo over and saw the word "Chiropteran" on the back as he continued to analyze, "W-what can this mean!? W-was he the one to kill all of those people!?"

Rei's hands began to tremble in shock as things were beginning to make sense but he was refusing to believe in all of this. The Alex he remembered on Earth was unable to kill humans but he did kill monsters of all sorts.

"No…It can't be true!" said Rei as his eyes began to water a little, knocking the papers down on accident, "Wh-what happened to him? D-did he really change? Does he even remember his past life? What if he doesn't remember me or the others?! I-I can't be alone like how I was if it wasn't for Rin-senpai, Makoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai! And Nagisa-kun…oh…how much I miss them."

He wiped his tears as he tried to calm down; there had to be hope, was there?

"I hope the others do remember…I have to be close on finding Alex…what if something happened to him…I don't know what to…"

"Rei!" said the ancient voice of Suiei Ryugazaki, "You need to listen to me. You are doing great and you are so close of finding him, don't give up now! The person who you saw earlier was Alex and you need to find him! Don't let him start killing innocent lives again. Keep him stable. I can only give you some of your powers but remember there are still more memories for you to recover from the past. Go now!"

Rei took a final look at the documents and found a badge of some sort, "This looks something important."

He took the badge and the family photo as he walked out and fixed up his glasses; time was short if he was to find him and be together to fulfill their vow back on Earth!

 _Just hang in there_ , thought Rei, _I'll get you back!_

**~Episode 2 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 3 PV~**

**Rei:** I have a lot of questions to ask…but I have to find Alex first!

 **Alex:** I have no intention of talking to strangers like you. Leave me alone!

 **Rei:** I will find you and bring you back no matter how much you treat me!

 **Haruka:** Well, it appears that we're _finally_ going to be at war with the Tachibana's!

 **Makoto:** Your head is my prize, Haru! You and your team shall fall before the mighty Makoto!

 **Nagisa:** Rin-Rin! We're finally going to be featured!

 **Rin** : About time too…I'm ready to show our viewers my lovely kingdom of Neo Tabuk!

 **Anastasia:** Me…a princess? Where's onii-chan!?

 **Aki:** This isn't the time to get panicked! We have to get to Jadwiga!

 **Makoto:** Next Time, Free! " ** _The Magic Words; A reason to Protect_** "… _are we really destined to be together?_

**_~~~See you water next time! (Wed. April 9, 2014)_ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa Hazuki, born from the criminal town of Lha’li must make his way to win the competition in order to meet with Prince Rin Matsuoka. However, both parties have yet to remember who they are so it is only by “inevitability” that can decide their fate! Meanwhile, the ALL-OUT-BATTLE of Makoto and Haruka begins and only one will leave this fight alive!

**_Episode 3:_** ** _魔法の言葉、保護する_** ** _の理_** ** _由_** **_The Magic Words; A Reason to Protect!_**

**Las Jangwa Desert**

The City of Neo Tabuk was a futuristic Arabian-stylized city that had the elements based from Aeuropa City mixed with its own ancient designs throughout its history. However, today was a special day for it was finally the coronation of the new prince, Rin Matsuoka.

The sultans and servants prepared the ceremony along with thousands of the civilians crowing together either at the site or watching the television to hear the words of their new ruler. Despite the problems that they had recently with trading and other economic-related, it was at least a day to have some sort of peace and celebration.

Rin took a small step to the podium and looked at the crowd cheering on before him. He almost wanted to shed tears of joy but he maintained his composure and began, "I have never been more grateful than to be a part of a great, legendary dynasty here in our city. Our nation has undergone through several problems and causalities in the past so we must give a memorial to those who have died for us.

"But now, let us begin a new era of hope that will finally give this land one step closer to freedom and to recognize our mistakes and prevent them from reoccurring again."

The audiences cheered and were eager to hear what else their prince was going to say.

"Tonight," said Rin, "We will have our very special 100th anniversary of the Las Jangwa Desert Dance ceremony here at the Palace of Murraba…with our new winner from this year's dance contest and the three veterans from the past to join us as well! Thank you, and may the gods of Sametsuka and Iwatobi bless you all."

He departed from the podium as the audience cheered on happily, knowing that this would be a night to remember even though it would be short lived of peace.

* * *

**Flashback: 2 Weeks ago, Las Jangwa Dance Battle**

This past year of the Dance Battle had such a landmark of contestants with one of them being to be "foreign" from another city in the desert. However, this other "city" was not meant to be talked about due to its problems of crimes and diseases and who knows what.

Regardless, the contestants sat in their seats as the judges whispered amongst themselves and making scores to evaluate. It was a matter of time before one of them would be declared as winner and will take the dance to the Palace of Murraba for the 100th anniversary Dance Ceremony.

 _I should have danced better_ , thought Nagisa, _I don't think I'll win…these other dances here are smoother and had more graceful moves._

"Judges, reveal your scores," said the contest show host.

"We really had a tough decision to make," said the first judge.

"All of the dances were really beautiful and unique," added the second judge.

"However, I'd like to give a special to Nagisa-kun to be one of the first people from a foreign city to have made it this far," said the third judge as the audience in the crowd cheered a little.

Nagisa's face changed as he realized that there was some hope and his eyes shined up a little.

 _They mentioned me! Maybe there's still a chance_ , he thought.

He looked briefly at his competitors, Akane Chikako and Masaru Taiki and 3 others finalists. While they developed a form of friendship with each other, they were all competing to get to the palace for the special dance and meeting the new prince.

"3rd place…Akane Chikako," said the first judge.

The girl stand up from her seat as the audience cheered as everyone waited anxiously to hear who would win this contest.

"2nd place…Masaru Taiki," said the third judge.

Masaru stand up and stood next to Akane while they all waited to hear the winner.

"And finally," said the second judge, "Our new winner that will go visit Prince Matsuoka on the day of his official coronation…"

 _M-matsuoka_ , thought Nagisa, _w-why does that name…?_

The drums began to roll as the lights were shining all around, the audience tried to remain silent but were all waiting to hear this.

"Congratulations…Nagisa Hazuki," said the second judge.

Nagisa stood up and waved his hand to the crowd with joy as Akane and Masaru hugged him with congratulations together. Confetti fell from above as it was almost like another party of its own.

"Oh my god…I can't believe this!" he said as hugged with them with pure joy.

"Well you did it Nagi-chan," replied Akane.

"You're the first foreigner to go see the palace. I hope they treat you special though because of your origin," said Masaru as he smiled but worried a little.

"I know!" answered the blonde, "But even still…I can't even imagine how it looks like! I'm sure it looks beautiful!"

"Well my uncle used to work there back when the reign was in its previous stage," said Akane, "He says that it is filled with enchanting halls and giant rooms that are as grand as the stars at night."

"You'll get to see the new prince also…" added Masaru, "If I remember correctly, his name was Rin."

"Rin-chan!" smiled Nagisa but he blushed and realized what he was saying and added, "Oh…sorry…I don't know why I got so…"

"Well that's definitely you," smirked Akane, "You're just excited to go."

The contest was over as the contestants and the audience made their departure while Akane, Nagisa, and Masaru were escorted out by the guards as they were going outside. It was a time of happiness for them as they were happy to see the blonde become the first foreigner to visit such a palace. These three winners made their way back to the hotel for the night while Nagisa waited with excitement to attend the ceremony.

* * *

**Present Time: Murraba Palace**

Rin dashed his way through the hallways with a couple of his guards. Tonight was going to be the 100th anniversary of the festival dance here at this palace and the servants and workers were beginning to finish up the decorations and lighting.

"Rin-sama," said one of the guards.

"Yes?" he asked.

"There has been an increase on the number of Megascolides based on recent reports from our troops; the causalities on our end are escalating," explained the guard.

"Howe many did we lose this time?" asked Rin.

"About 30 your highness," replied the other guard.

 _An increase of the Megascolides_ , thought Rin, _How these worms are entering our domain?_

"We need to get our armies back and regrouped," said the first guard, "We ask your permission to bring them back."

"We need some forces out there though because of the dangers they're causing to our trade routes," replied Rin, "OR have you forgotten what has happened 18 years ago?"

"T-that," said the guard, "That only happened just after you were born though, R-Rin-sama. It should not have any effect on your or this city!"

"No. It affects me," he answered, "The village of Herisia was a mixed-cultural group that had some of our people living there and those who barely survived that night either returned to us or fled to other lands."

"But what about the ceremony tonight?" asked the other guard, "Surely in the past we had some terrorists that tried to invade and ruin the ceremony."

"Seek to that the dancers are under full protection," ordered Rin, "We're finished here."

He walked into his chamber and slumped down on his throne as his mind was filled with mysterious and riddles. Rin reflected on what he learned growing up; the city had a majority of people that worshipped the Iwatobi and Sametsuka Legends while a small minority groups of people believed in the legend of the Six Stars that would one day take rise into power and change this world.

However, this led to several discrimination acts and protests as the minorities suffered many causalities and deaths from the majority. In his heart, Rin could feel more about the Six Stars as he heard rumors of a legendary prophet named Kaarina.

"It's just an old legend though…but could it never be true," muttered Rin, "However if I do end up believing in this…I'll be…"

" _Are you sure about that_?" echoed the godly voice of Suiei Matsuoka.

"Huh?" muttered Rin, "I thought I heard something."

He stripped off his garments and walked over to the small pool and slid himself in. The water was at least warm and enjoyable but he felt a bit off as he wondered to himself about other things going on both here and the other nations.

Rin saw a blinking flash of red/magenta glowing light from the bottom of the pool.

"Eh…what's this?" he asked to himself as he submerged in and made his way to the bottom and saw a strange looking necklace fixed to the floor. He reached out to it and pulled the necklace off after a few tugs and made his way to the surface.

As he took another look at it, he suddenly saw himself from childhood standing on a diving block while stretching his goggles to create the snap effect and diving in and swimming freestyle with someone familiar.

_Oi, Haru! Let's race together!_

The scene changed as he saw himself flirting with some blue-haired person and red glasses who was also very strong looking.

_Oh Rei…my sexy butterfly!_

Suddenly, the scene morphed again and showed a massive battle between himself and some dark-cloaked bastard who tried to hurt his lover as he saw himself growling, " _Not my lover you **BITCH!**_ "

Rin turned violently as he thought he saw something and knocked over the stands and a vase shattered.

"Dammit!" he growled.

The two guards rushed in and saw Rin struggling to get out of the pool while a headache was erupting on his forehead.

"Rin-sama!" shouted one of the guards.

"Are you alright my lord? What happened to you?" asked the other guard.

"It's nothing," grunted Rin, "Fetch the Apothecary here…"

"Will do," said the first guard as he left the room while the other guard helped him to dry off and provided him the clothes for him to redress.

Rin sat back down on the throne while the guard stood to the side. It was all of an awkward silence for a moment when the doors opened and the Apothecary walked in.

"My master…Rin, are you ill?" he asked.

"A bit exhausted," said Rin.

"Tonight is a very important night for you," replied the Apothecary, "You will certainly need your strength."

Rin remained silent as the Apothecary opened up a case of herbs and took a small stick to activate the scent on the leaf.

"Here, just one sniff of this and you'll be alright," said the Apothecary.

Rin took a small waft as the scent drifted through his nose and into the system. It was starting to alleviate his headache at least as he sighed in relief.

"Thank you," he said.

"Please rest up a few hours…we'll get the ceremony ready," said the guard as they left the chamber.

 _What is there for me to remember anyway_ , thought Rin as he closed his eyes.

* * *

By sunset, the limousine arrived at the gates of the palace. Nagisa and three other dancers sat in while there were special guests inside with them as well.

"Did you hear the rumors of that kid?" whispered one of the dancers.

"Yes I had," the other replied, "They say that he's from that town where it's nothing but terrorism."

"Isn't that the village of Lha'li?" asked the third dancer quietly.

"I think so but from what I've heard, it's been nothing but a dump with such outrageous criminal activity," said the second dancer.

"I'm scared though," replied the first dancer, "What if he's a terrorist?"

Nagisa could hear the others talking and sighed to himself. He did not had any problems here in Neo Tabuk in terms of being accused of terrorism but he knows that the people like these dancers are talking about him like non-stop.

"You don't think he'll go after the prince, will he?" asked the third dancer.

The second dancer briefly turned to look at Nagisa before turning back and whispered, "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Such a beautiful evening," smiled Nagisa, "right?"

The trio looked at him briefly as their eyes blinked but they sighed to themselves and waited. Finally, the VIP opened door and the trio cried out in excitement as Nagisa followed up with joy and ready to show off his dance.

The four dancers were led by guards and other members of the palace as the audience and the crowds were taking pictures of the dancers while the music could be heard the entire palace as they made their way through the gates, up the stairs and to the grand halls.

 _Amazing_ , thought Nagisa as his eyes were widened in awe of the palace designs all over. There were several candles, statues, vases, and other ancient and futuristic designs all around.

The hall itself was filled with numerous upper-class men and women as well as a handful of children. The dancers arrived down the stairs and to the hall as the people moved out of the way while Rin sat on his main throne of the hall.

"Let us celebrate and share our wonderful 4 dancers together in our 100th anniversary of this reign!" said Rin.

He looked at the four dancers and said in a riddle, " ** _Show me a sight that I have never seen…_** "

The first three dancers did their individual performances as Rin watched them carefully. True, they were all winners from the last 3 years of the contest but all of their moves were somewhat the same. He sighed to himself while he try to maintain a cordial smile in gratitude.

 _They just don't get it...oh what will even become of the last one_ , thought Rin, _will his moves be the same too?_

"Okay thank you very much," said Rin as he waved them off.

Nagisa stepped into the scene as his clothes were filled with vibrant colors of his Arabian form. Rin's eyes widened a little as he somehow seemed to have recognized the clothes from somewhere but he kept calm.

The blonde bowed before him and said, "Your majesty, my name is Nagisa Hazuki…and I am grateful to have won the contest to be a part of this wonderful legacy of the celebration. Allow me to dance for you."

"I see," replied Rin, "So you are the one from Lha'li…I have heard of you in the last couple of weeks."

He cleared his throat and said, " ** _Show me a sight I have never seen…_** "

The band switched the music as they were given requests from the dancers prior to coming here. The audience's eyebrows lifted as the change of genre sounded more upbeat and different than expected.

Nagisa smiled to himself as he recognized the tune and began his dance while singing:

" _Sunny Shiny Soda Breeze kokoro shimiwataru_  
Hizashi no nioi osoroi da ne In the pool  
Sunao ni nobiru kaze wo oikaketeku  
Kitto minna ni mo mieteru yo ne…

( **English** : Sunny shiny soda breeze spreads in my heart  
It's the same as the smell of sunlight  
It follows the wind that stretches straight into the pool  
I'm sure everyone can see it as well)

The blonde twirled around as the lights from the ceiling shined on him at the proper angles, making him look like a star out in the night skies. Rin's ears perked up a bit and sensed something coming from this person…it was like an aura that he should remember…

"My lord?" asked one of the personal guards next to him.

But Rin was too focused on the dancer as the voice was sounding more familiar to him by the second. Nagisa swayed his hips a few times as he continued to sing:

" _Korette unmei datte zettai sou nanda_  
Bokura ga deau tame no mejirushi da yo  
Ironna kyoutsuuten attara ureshiishi  
Nanka sa tokubetsu da tte omochatte ii yo ne… 

( **English** : This is destiny, I'm sure of it  
It's a sign so we can come across each other  
It would make me happy if we had a lot in common  
It's okay to think this is special, right…?)

Rin's eyes blink as he was suddenly seeing visions around him; he saw himself along with Nagisa, Haruka, and Makoto competing together for the relay as Rei and Alex arrived in the scene and the six together laughed and celebrated together on their special relay as well as sharing love for the journey with each other.

It was all happening so fast that…

 _N-Nagisa_ , thought Rin as he almost wanted to cry, _at last…_

 _"Nayandari, mune no naka omoiyari toka (terekakushi)_  
Kigatsuite agetai na, chanto, dekiru to ii na  
Jiyuu ni oyogu tonariawase de  
Massugu ni todoku kimochi ga aru  
I think so…

( **English** : When you're worried or hold something in your heart (hiding your embarrassment)  
I wish I could notice it, I hope I can do it properly  
There are feelings that reach straight  
When we swim freely side by side  
I think so…)

Rin got up from his seat, much to the guards' surprise as the prince walked down and looks at Nagisa dancing gracefully.

"May I please dance with you?" asked Rin as he extended his hand out.

"Oh! Of course your majesty!" smiled Nagisa as he was a bit shocked.

The audience around gasped and muttered around, "The young prince…did you see that? That's amazing! Oh my gosh! He never really dances with others before!"

Nagisa took his hand and held onto Rin's when he saw rapid visions of himself swimming the breaststroke as a child and as a teen for the relays and the other guys reaching out for him. He saw the giant Sakura Tree as well as Suiei Hazuki smiling before him.

"Nagisa…" echoed Suiei Hazuki.

"Shall we?" asked Rin.

Nagisa nodded his head while trying to shake off the visions he saw and smiled to himself, knowing that he finally is beginning to remember Rin and the others…as well as the gods.

They began to dance together as the music switched to a calmer and relaxed beat with sizzling effects and the audience around them began to dance also.

 _I can't believe I'm dancing with Prince Rin_ , thought Nagisa.

 _I have to get some answers...if Nagisa is around...where are the others?_ , thought Rin.

The two continued to dance for at least about 10 minutes or so as the crowd joined up and celebrated the night. When it was time for a break, the two hung out by the balcony as they looked over the city before them.

"N-Nagisa!" said Rin as he tried not to cry, "I…I can't believe it's you!"

"Rin-Rin!" laughed Nagisa as he glomped him tightly, "Oh how I missed you too!"

"I was beginning to remember things as you danced. But I know there's more out there as I still don't understand a lot of things," he replied, "However, I saw you and the others standing together and we fought off a lot of bad guys with help from our Suiei Gods as well as swimming in relays."

"Have you seen the others?" asked Nagisa.

Rin shook his head sadly and said, "None of them have ever showed up here…otherwise, I would have remembered sooner."

He looked up to the stars and muttered, "Oh I just wish…"

Before he could finish his line, he saw a glow on Nagisa as the blonde saw his Suiei Necklace forming on his neck.

"The Suiei Gods!" gasped Nagisa, "My Hazuki…!"

Rin smiled as he unveiled his and replied, "I got mines too…earlier today. They must have been watching for us."

Nagisa nodded in reply, "I think so too."

Rin's smiled dropped and got more serious as he said quietly, "However, my people in this town do not believe in the Suiei Gods…they are all under the influence of the Gods of Iwatobi and Sametsuka."

"I never heard of such story," said Nagisa.

"Well since you're not from here, it's the only reason," he answered, "But the people of Neo Tabuk believed that two genderless gods; _Iwatobi, master of the skies…and Sametsuka, master of the seas_ have created our world. Unfortunately, the people here do sometimes get into conflict between the Suiei Gods and then these two genderless entities."

Nagisa remained silent but nodded at the understanding as Rin continued, "As a prince, I have undergone training with the ability to use water as a way to project visions. Perhaps we can try it out together now that we both have necklaces again."

"Y-you're a dream seer?" asked Nagisa.

"Not necessary, but let's say that I can do a few religious arts of visions," he replied, "Come on. We should see if we can figure out where the others are at!"

"Alrighty then, let's go!" said Nagisa.

The two managed to sneak away from the ball and entered into the private chamber were Rin had his private pool of water along with an array of collections of gifts.

"Nagisa," said Rin, "I'm not sure how much you remembered but I will need you to put your hands in the water and I will do the same on the opposite end."

The blonde nodded and dipped his hands into the pool while Rin dashed over to the other side and did the same.

"Waters of our memories…please guide us to our past!" chanted Rin.

"Waters of the world…please help us find the others!" changed Nagisa.

The two watched as the water turned from clear-blue to a blood red crimson before shimmering in a golden yellow. Before their eyes they see a gang of pirates fighting and clashing with each other.

"H-Haru?!" gasped Rin as he saw the tsundere locked in conflict against Makoto as their swords clashed and shouting and screaming.

"Ma-Mako-chan!" shouted Nagisa in shocked with disbelief, "Wh-why are they fighting!?"

"This is not looking good, if they kill each other…" muttered Rin before he chanted, "Suiei Gods…please help them remember who they are…For the Team!"

The waters began to change as there was more crimson in the water, displaying what looked like a bloody massacre. The two saw a young looking boy holding a katana while slicing through the Chiropterans and people were being killed by his blade.

"W-what is this?!" gasped Rin at first but then he realized, "T-the massacre…"

"W-what's going on in that scene!?" cried Nagisa, "And is it just me or does he look like Alex-chan but with longer hair!?"

"H-his eyes are crimson red…" said Rin, "Didn't his eyes glowed red a few times back on Earth?"

"I…I think so, when he got angry and fought off the monsters," he answered as the scene changed again, showing Rei running through the forest.

"R-Rei-chan!" gasped Nagisa, "Where is he going?"

They see the megane running through the forest as Rin analyzed, "That sexy butterfly…I think he's trying to find something…"

Before Nagisa could reply, they heard a loud rumble coming from the outside.

"D-did you just hear that!?" asked Rin.

"W-what's happening!?" gasped Nagisa.

A loud rumbling sound from the outside exploded the ground as the Megascolides erupted from the sands and began to eat people. The people screamed and fled from their lives as more of the gigantic worms erupted and screeched loud noises, breaking the houses down and dragging themselves around.

Several of the guards tried to shoot them down but the beasts were too strong to feel any pain.

Rin and Nagisa rushed over to the balcony of the chamber and saw the invasion of monsters and people screaming.

"Is there anything we can do to stop this!?" said Nagisa.

Before Rin could answer, the castle began to shake as the floor beneath Nagisa gave away. Rin grabbed Nagisa's hand as he shouted, "NAGISA!"

"RIN!" screamed Nagisa as he grips Rin's hand. Rin used his strength to pull the blonde back up while the castle shook again.

"Come on!" said Rin, "We can't stay here…we have to find the others before all is lost!"

"Let's go then," agreed Nagisa, "But what about your people?"

Rin lowered his head and said, "We'll see to what we can but we don't have any time…I feel that there is worse to come after this incident."

The two dashed their ways into the halls as the people panicked and saw some of the Megascolides making their way into the dancing area and shattering everything around them.

* * *

**Island of Ackins: Battle of Haruka and Makoto**

Haruka's Clan took note on the news as they gathered their members together, divided into 2 separate groups; 1 to go take the front with Haruka, Awilda, and Shirahama while another group standing by in case the group would be surrounded.

But the Tachibana's Clan already prepared their own plans to surprise them and the weather was beginning to turn dark and stormy.

Haruka dodged an attack by a Tachibana Pirate before stabbing it down and turned in time to slash down another prey.

"You won't get me that easily!" shouted a Nanase Pirate as he sliced through the sleeve of a Tachibana Pirate, "Take that!"

The Tachibana Pirate's hand was chopped off but smirked as he saw his enemy being stabbed through the neck while his own side brought him in to safety.

"We need to win!" shouted some of the other pirates, "Haruka is our prince!"

"You fools!" shouted another, "Makoto is the TRUE prince of the seas!"

Haruka turned to see another random pirate from the enemy's clan and he kicked him down while slashing another's face down.

Meanwhile, Anne turned and sliced through an enemy's throat from the Nanase Clan as she cried out, "Try to kill as many as you can!"

Matsuura kicked another one down and said, "Will do! We gotta win this!"

Awlida sliced off an arm and turned to Shira, saying, "Oi, Shira! Take the two on the right; I'll settle these boys on the left!"

Shirahama jumped at the oncoming two enemy pirates and clashed with the swords before jumping over them and slicing down behind them while stabbing a third from a random sneak attack.

Anne took her chance to kill off a Nanase Pirate as Awlida turned to see of her closer crew members as her eyes narrowed.

"Ohhh this bitch…she's gonna pay for that!" growled Awlida.

She turned to Shirahama and said, "I'll deal with that sneaky-ass bitch while you take down that clobber-stone man."

"Time to have some fun!" agreed Shirahama as they fist-bumped before jumping into action.

Anne pushed down her prey and turned to see Awlida charging up at her as she smirked, "You prepared to lose bitch?"

"I won't lose with your ass looking so sad!" sneered Awlida and growled, "YOU WILL PAY!"

"Oi!" said Shirahama as he looked at Matsuura knocking down another Nanase Pirate, "Maybe you start fighting like a real man now and not a coward!?"

"You bastard! Think you're better than me!?" growled Matsuura as he charged up to Shirahama and the two clashed their swords together, "I'll prove you wrong you wannabe!"

"Wanna be what?!" laughed Shirahama, readying his sword.

* * *

Haurka dashed his ways through the sands of the beach as he tried to find his enemy. He knew that the prince was nearby and he had to defeat him in order to claim the seas as his own. He kept his sword constantly at the ready, staying on guard.

He was about to get onto the ship and see what was there to loot out for weapons when he heard a loud voice from above.

"Looking for me!?" shouted Makoto as he stood on the raft of his ship before jumping down and aiming his sword at Haruka.

Haruka dodged to the side as Makoto stared with hatred eyes at his prey. Makoto wore an ebon-green vest and a shirt as his hat was black in the triangular shape. His pants were baggy while his boots were sleek in black. Haruka stood in his short-sleeved shirt with his dark-navy blue vest with several jewels embedded. His hat was a partial bandana with a hat on top as well. Both of them had ear piercings with the colors that represented them.

The rain grew more intense as their clothes were starting to blend in their skin but the two of them stared at each other with vengeance in their hearts.

"I see you're dressed up for your funeral," answered Haruka.

"You're the one with the fancier outfit," said Makoto sarcastically, "What a shame…as soon as my foot is over your grave, the sea shall be mine!"

Haruka gripped on his sword and stared at Makoto, waiting for the attack. After a few seconds, Makoto charged and the two were locked in duel, clashing their swords against each other. At one point, they slashed a part of their clothing against each other but it was not over for them.

Makoto tried to grab Haruka physically with his brute strength but the other captain was fast enough and he fell to his feet and sweep-kicked the taller man down. Haruka was about to pin Makoto down when the other captain took out his gun and shot a few bullets.

Haruka dodged the bullets while Makoto got up on his feet but Haruka sliced the gun into pieces while Makoto managed to slash a part of Haruka's face as blood poured out from his cheeks.

Awlida saw the injury on Haruka in horror as she tried to get her way through but Anne sneered and said, "Aww…is the baby girl worried about her boyfriend?"

"MOVE IT BITCH!" growled Awlida as she kicked Anne down by her bikini area and tried to run to Haruka but Matsuura stepped in her way as they clashed their swords together.

"Where do you think you're going cunt?" asked Matsuura as his sword had blood on it.

"What the fuck did you do to Shira!?" she growled.

"Well someone had to show him a lesson," smirked Matsuura as he turned to the side and revealed Shirahama to the ground, bleeding from a huge wound on his abdomen.

"You BASTARD!" she screamed in anger, "You will PAY FOR THIS!"

Before Matsuura could reply, she kicked him in the face, knocking him down and ran to Shira, crying out, "Shira! SHIRA!"

Shirahama moaned a bit and turned his head towards her with a weak smile.

"You'll be alright!" she said, "I'll try to stop the bleeding!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Haruka managed to slice open a cut on Makoto's arm as it began to bleed out, forcing Makoto to drop his sword.

"You bastard!" growled Makoto.

"I shall be the one to claim the ocean!" replied Haruka, "Pathetics like you are not worthy of her nature!"

"What makes you think that you filthy scum!?" snarled Makoto as he tried to use his uninjured hand to reach his second gun.

 _"The water is alive…"_ said Haruka.

 _Eh_ , thought Makoto as that last phrase sounded familiar, _wh-what did he just say?_

Haruka took the chance to pin Makoto down and kick the gun away while pointing his sword at his neck while his other hand choked on his prey, slowing losing his prey's breathing. Makoto made a sick laughter in reply.

" ** _You really think my death will give you all-out pass to the seas?_** " asked Makoto as he grunted to breathe.

Haruka remained silent on that question as he lightly pressed his sword to Makoto's neck, causing a trickle of blood to drip.

" _ **GO AHEAD AND KILL ME!**_ " he shouted, " _ **STRIKE ME DOWN AND THEY WILL DESTROY YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS!**_ "

Anne looked up and turned her head as she saw Haruka about to stab Makoto as she screamed out, "NOOOOOO!"

She struggled to get up from the pain as she cried out, "I…I can't! MAKOTOOOO!"

Matsuura tried to get them but a handful of Nanase's crew blocked him as he shouted, "LET ME THROUGH YOU BASTARDS!"

Awilda and Shirahama turned to see Haruka about to make the kill on Makoto as they were in shocked that the battle will end with their victory.

Before any further action was made, the skies crackled with lightning as two majestic voices echoed everywhere, "Makoto…Haruka… ** _Makoto….Haruka…_** "

 _T-that voice_ , thought Haruka, dropping his sword down.

"Ehhh?" muttered Makoto, his hands wouldn't move.

Haruka's eyes blinked twice as he saw himself on a beach during a stormy night while Makoto was not responding through his consciousness. He saw himself descending his mouth to Makoto's mouth but the scene changed as he saw another battle occurring between himself and a group of allies fighting some shadowed-cloaked beings in some death-like garden before them.

Meanwhile, Makoto sees himself visiting Haruka in the bathroom and he extends his hand to him and says, _"Good morning…Haru-chan!"_

The visions changed around him as he saw the Suiei Gods and other allies as well as their big relay together with 4 other important guys of their team.

Back in reality, blinding blue and green streaks of light strikes on Makoto and Haruka as the two floated in midair of each other with their eyes glowing Neon Blue and Green. The pirates stopped their fighting to see the strange phenomenon happening to their beloved leaders.

"W-what's happening!? HARU!?" gasped Awlida.

"A-Awlida," moaned Shirahama, "W-what's happening now.."?"

"Makoto!" shouted Anne as she tried to rush to the scene but the lights forced her and the other pirates back.

Makoto smiled as he saw the scene with him and Haruka talking during the festival night as Haruka revealed that he really wanted to swim together for the relay as well as the other festival when they all relied on each other when the Shadow Mafia invaded their city. They finally got to see the exact images of Rin, Rei, Nagisa, and Alex as the four smiled to them.

"H-Haru-chan!" said Makoto as he cried with joy and hugged Haruka. He spilled a few tears of happiness down his cheeks as he finally began to remember him and the others.

"M-Makoto," replied Haruka in shock as he joined the hug and smiled a little while the storm finally ended and the sun began to shine.

Before the pirates' eyes, Suiei Nanase and Suiei Tachibana appeared in ghostly-like forms but they were visible enough for anyone to see.

"I see we got such a reunion here," said Suiei Tachibana.

The pirates were all in shocked of either an awe or wtf of the sight of the gods before them but they realized that they were too powerful to even fight so they dropped their weapons.

" _Everyone…those who are still alive_ ," said Suiei Nanase, " _You must stop the fighting!_ "

"A dark future is haunting all of you down one by one," explained Suiei Tachibana, "Fighting amongst each other will only allow your true enemy to destroy all of you."

The two gods snapped their fingers and Makoto and Haruka floated down to the ground and turned to see their pirate gangs before them.

"Makoto and Haruka are two of the Six Stars," said Suiei Nanase, "The Legend of the Six Stars is beginning to wake up now."

"Please understand them that they will help you all to end the war. But they are not alone as four others are waiting for them," added Suiei Tachibana, "Together, the six stars will end this war if they can join forces with each other."

Awlida's eyes widened a bit as she turned to Shirahama, saying, "I-it's true…Haru IS ONE of the six stars! Along with Makoto…that makes them two."

"That would mean that…" began Shirahama.

"Haru is going to leave us…" replied Awlida as she was about to tear up.

Makoto walked up to Shirahama alongside with Suiei Tachibana as the god floated over to the injured pirate.

"Waters of the healing," said Suiei Tachibana, resting his hands over the abdomen, "Give this man a chance to regain what was lost…"

Haruka's face was already self-healing from the cut as Shirahama's wounds were being healed by the magic from the god.

"All of you have done well to keep them alive at this point," continued Suiei Nanase.

"And while it's true that they must move on to meet up with the others…the rest of you…there's a home that is waiting for all of you to return," replied Suiei Tachibana, "A home that needs allies and the strength of your hearts…they can destroy the true evil in this world if you act now together."

"B-but.." said Matsuura, "Where is this home?"

"The place where you have left…" answered Suiei Nanase, "The two villages that went to war with each other at the seas…it is time for you to return."

"Terra Magna…Iglis Magna…" said Suiei Tachibana, "Those lands must be taken back by you guys in order to finally obtain world peace."

Haruka waked up to Makoto side by side as he saw Shirahama getting up on his rear while Awlida stayed by his side.

"Makoto," said Haruka, "The others…I can almost see them."

"Me too," replied Makoto, "But where are they now? We need to find them."

"But we don't know…what really happened 18 years ago…if this is all just a lie that we fought amongst ourselves…we need to know the truth before we take action," answered Haruka as he looked at Makoto and Shirahama and Awlida.

"I…I can tell you," said a voice.

Haruka turned to see Anne as she replied, "I know some information that may actually help both parties. For what my father has told me…18 years ago. Someone or something came into the village to destroy the monsters that were invading them…but he also began to attack people there too."

"Please share what you know exactly," answered Haruka, "We should all sit down and discuss the matter."

The pirates moved to the side while Makoto and Haruka sat down with their friends to hear Anne's tale...learning about a dangerous monster that was known as a Chiropteran.

"But this…"thing" didn't look like a Chiropteran, but it is rumored that he was classified as such?" asked Haruka.

"Yes…but I don't know why, my father didn't want to tell me. I was too small at the time to understand it. He disappeared when I was 6 years old," said Anne.

"And he never returned?" asked Shirahama.

Anne shook her head and said, "No…he left and never returned."

Makoto turned to Shirahama and asked, "And you said you knew about us…as the six stars?"

"My grandma used to tell me some stories about you and the others even though we never knew the names…but we were somewhat aware of the story," he replied.

Haruka turned to see Awlida as she was spilling a silent tear, knowing what will happen to be with her precious friend.

"Awlida?" asked Haruka.

"Y-yes?" she asked, looking up at Haruka.

"I know it probably hurts you….but it won't end here…it won't end with any of us. Hopefully, when this war is said and done, we'll all be together with the other stars," said Haruka.

"Maybe a pool party would be great," suggested Makoto as he chuckled.

Haruka blushed a little as he wanted to strip off but he couldn't but Awlida was smiling a bit already and answered, "Pool party would be perfect...but I just want you to come back safe and uninjured!"

"It will be a while...I am not certain how long it will take but I think once the others remember who they are, we might be able to find them," said Haruka.

"It's definitely a new beginning...a time of healing and a time of a new battle to face," agreed Makoto, "Our true enemy is waiting on us."

"But before we can let you leave with Haru…" said Shirahama as he chuckled and glomped both Awlida and Haruka together and said, "You two better kick those butts on whoever planted the seeds of war at us!"

Haruka nodded and replied, "Promise."

"Promise me you won't forget us!" said Awlida as she finally cried a little while holding onto Haru tightly.

"Will do," he nodded as he smiled a little.

"We'll get together again and have a big party…all of us together with the other stars," smiled Makoto.

Anne hugged Makoto and said, "You better…otherwise we'll end up celebrating without you!"

Matsuura smirked while he joined in with a group hug of Anne and Makoto. Makoto was already laughing happily and even Haruka was smiling a bit more.

And so, the two of the six stars gathered up their pirates and with help from both teams, they connected the ships together as one massive ship and the remaining pirates took off while Makoto and Haruka stood with the Suiei Gods.

"We will send you off to the continent now...but hang on you two..." said Suiei Nanase.

"It'll be a dangerous road ahead so be quick to find the others!" added Suiei Tachibana.

The two boys nodded as Makoto replied, "I swear…we'll find them and save this world!"

"I just hope we'll have a pool for later," sighed Haruka.

"Waters of the travel…" chanted Suiei Tachibana as swirls of magical water wrapped around the boys.

"May they be on their way to find their friends!"

Magical circles appeared beneath the boys as the water sealed them away, teleporting them away from the islands while the two clans began a unifying alliance to relocate their lost homes.

* * *

**Castle Chirottori:**

Pandora walked back down the stairs to the chamber below as she could finally feel the change in the atmosphere from the outside world. Already, her elder son, Alex has regained his memories of being a Chiropteran as well as the incident 18 years ago.

" _It's time…Rasputin_ ," hissed Pandora, " _Your brother has **finally awaken…**_ "

She watched as the stasis glass tube exploded and shattered into pieces as Rasputin stepped down to the ground as his wings expanded open with his human-like appearance in full sheer, dark beauty. His eyes were sickly green in contrast to Alex's red eyes. His hair style was similar to Alex with the face pretty much the exact same.

"The six stars have begun to wake up," said Pandora, "Your brother is one of them."

"I am aware," he replied as his voice was twisted and dark, "I sensed his awaking a while ago while he was living in a luxurious reality for a year."

"Go…" answered Pandora, "Go find your brother and play a game of tag or two…until it is time for him to suffer under your claws."

The Chiropteran-Human hybrid grinned wickedly as made his way to the window and soared off, tracking the scent of his brother.

* * *

**Somewhere in the southern reaches of the continent:**

The alarms went off as Jadwiga turned to see the lights flashing on the warning light.

"It's time…isn't it," she muttered.

"Indeed," said one of the servants, "The events have begun to unfold."

"I already sent Takeshi to Iwamara to check up on our king…but it appears he got there too late," she replied.

"Madam!" shouted another servant nearby, "It's worse than we feared! The radars have revealed that the other king has awaken!"

Jadwiga's eyes widened a bit as she realized, "Rasputin…he'll be off to find our king in no time."

Another servant showed up and shared the details, "It appears that despite the destruction of Iwamara, someone has visited the town and retrieved something."

"And who is this person exactly?" she asked.

"From what the spies reported, it is a blue-haired boy with red glasses…and it appears that he was at the old house where he was trying to research about our king…" said the third servant.

"It's time we bring them in…go get them immediately," she ordered, "It is time we begin and resume our operations…time is of the essence!"

**~Episode 3 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 4 PV~  
**

**Nagisa** : Rin-Rin! I'm so glad to have found you!

 **Rin** : I know…Nagisa…but we must flee! The Megascolides are too powerful as long as we are not standing side by side with the others! For the team, we must reunite!

 **Alex** : Why are you following me?

 **Rei** : Eh? Isn't it dangerous to be alone?

 **Alex** : This is not your war; go home…and forget everything.

 **Alex** : *softer voice* Rei…please save me! I need you and the others to reunite before I fall asleep again!

 **Makoto** : Good morning, Haru-chan! Can't you believe how much is going to happen on our journeys?

 **Haruka** : Can you quit the –chan already? And as for the quest, I just hope we can all be at peace…I got a pool to jump into…mackerel to eat…and other important things.

 **Makoto** : Like what?

 **Rei** : Next Time, Free! **_The Moonlight; The truth of the "Last Star"._** _I swear to you Alex, I won't leave you!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After searching, Rei has finally encountered Alex but the former human is already on a mind and a mission of his own and has no need to deal with the megane. Meanwhile, a disaster unfolds at Neo Tabuk, forcing Rin and Nagisa to flee the city while the pirates are beginning to go on a dangerous journey to trace back their original lives on land!

_**Episode 4:** ムーンライト; の真実 "ラスト スター" **The Moonlight; The Truth of the "Last Star"**_

Rei was walking through the forest, continuing his search for Alex as he knew that he had to be close by. He saw some blood on the ground that was still fresh from before.

"Could it be?" he muttered as he followed the trail.

Meanwhile, Alex walked through the dark as his red eyes glowed to detect for Chiropterans, Acephaliterans, Byatis, Megascolides and other monsters. It was his job to eliminate them as many as possible but his true objection was a goal far different.

His sword was dripping blood as he growled to himself in anger, " _Rasputin…you bastard!_ "

Rei heard a growling from nearby as it almost frightened him but he had to shove his fear to the side. As he took a few steps, he felt something was about to fall down on him but instead he was being pulled up by a net as he was trapped in and tangled.

"HELP!" he shouted.

Alex heard the shouting from nearby so he raced his way back and saw someone inside the net. He jumped to the tree and propelled himself forward, slicing the net open and landed down to the ground while Rei fall and almost broke his glasses.

"W-who…?" began Rei when he saw Alex staring at him with his yellow eyes.

"A-Alex!?" gasped the megane, "I-is it you!? Have I found you finally!?"

But the boy didn't listen. He turned around and walked away while grunting in annoyance.

"Uh hey!" shouted Rei as he scrambled back on his feet and rushed up to him, "Don't ignore me!"

Rei stopped as he heard another growl from nearby as Alex muttered, "Another one…"

"Eh?" asked Rei when Alex turned and saw a Chiropteran sneaking behind Rei. Alex charged up to it as Rei gasped in horror while the monster was slew in half and blood exploded.

"H-how…?" began the megane.

" _Why did you come here?_ " asked Alex, swiping his sword from the blood on the blade, " _To this place?_ "

"To find you," said Rei.

"Humph," grunted the boy, " _Everyone's been looking for me. It's no surprise that I got one more to worry about._ "

He looked at his hand covered in blood and said, "After all…"

"After all what?" asked Rei was he was getting a bit annoyed by how Alex is treating him. This was certainly not the Alex he remembered back on Earth.

"It's nothing," said the boy as he turned away and gripped in his sword, "You need to get back where you are from; you're not safe here."

"W-wait!" answered Rei, "You can't just go away like that! I've been looking for you and I won't go back without you!"

Alex stopped and turned around, asking, "You're not part of 'The Watcher's, are you?"

"W-what? No…what are you talking about?!" asked Rei.

"Then you should have nothing to concern about," he replied as he walked out of the view and Rei rushed to follow him.

"H-how can you say that!?" growled Rei as he was feeling hurt by this, "I'm coming with you! And don't tell me I can't do that!"

Alex ignored him and walked on while Rei kept close to him. The two began a long, awkward journey, heading east...however as much as Rei was tired and what not; he was not going to give up losing his sight of him.

"Rei!" echoed Suiei Ryugazaki's voice inside of Rei's mind, "I see you finally found him…but it appears you're having trouble so far. Try to get him to talk. If you want him to help you, keep following him. Don't lose hope…but also remember this; things may be worse than they actually are."

"I won't," said Rei quietly, "It's only what I need now."

 _Such a persistent human_ , thought Alex as he stabbed the sword down to the ground and leaped onto a rock where he saw a cavern down by the hill. He took the sword and made his way down while Rei rushed to keep up.

"Are we looking for something?" asked Rei.

After a moment of silence, the other boy answered, "We'll rest here."

He placed the katana at the wall of the cave and slumped down to his bottom. Rei sat down across from him and said, "So then…?"

"There's nothing I need from you," said Alex, "But there is **_a place I must go_**."

"I'm going with you!" replied Rei.

Alex grunted to himself before replying and closing his eyes, "…do as you like."

Rei looked at Alex sadly before he closed his eyes too. He knew that this was not what was planned but he was still clueless on what really happened to him. The megane could only hope that in a matter of time; some answers would be revealed.

* * *

**Neo Tabuk**

Rin and Nagisa arrived at the front gates of the palace as their clothes transformed from fancy Arabian outfits to a more regular, commoner clothes to hide their identities.

"The gods must have given our adaptive clothing back," muttered Rin as he turned to the fortress, "I hope the people will forgive me for abandoning them…but it'll be worse when they find out about the legend."

"I'm sure they'll understand," replied Nagisa, "They'll learn about the six stars once we become a team again."

Rin took a grip on the blonde's hand and said, "Stay close to me. The Megascolides will make their way here."

The two began to run off as the gigantic worms erupted from the ground and ate up the people and digging back underground and repeating the process. The people screamed and fled while the guards used whatever weapons and magic they got available to defeat the monsters.

"W-where are we going!?" asked Nagisa as he rushed though the alleys.

The ground began to shake as Rin almost fell on his feet, "T-to find the others! Hurry, let's go this way!"

Behind them, more Megascolides erupted from the ground and ate up the limbs of the citizens while more guards rushed in to shoot them down. Nagisa tried not to look back at the horror while Rin briefly noticed at the corner of his eye and gasped.

"NAGISA!" he shouted as he threw up a water shield, causing the oncoming worm at them to disintegrate.

Nagisa saw the remains of the worm and sighed in relief, "T-Thank you Rin!"

"Come on," he said, holding Nagisa's hand, "This way!"

The two raced through the crowds as they see the train station before them. It was all chaotic as people tried to get on to flee from the horror of the city. The Megascolides did try to destroy some of the train tracks but many were repelled by the magical barriers that protected most of the area.

"We're getting on! Hurry!" said Rin.

The two rushed their way through the crowds as the train was beginning to depart while it whistled.

"Dammit!" gasped Rin as he sees a bunch of people trying to get on but the train began to move faster.

Using his strength, Rin managed to jump on the back end of the caboose and turned to Nagisa, "NAGISA! NAGISA!"

Nagisa grabbed a hold of his hand while trying to keep up at the speed of the train.

"HOLD ONTO MY HAND!" shouted Rin.

"RIN-RIN!" screamed Nagisa, feeling the grip falling apart.

Rin could feel his hand slipping away. He had to think of something quick!

"Waters of the heart…" he chanted, "Give my love the chance to float to me!"

The magic didn't appear to work and Rin lost his grip as the blonde screamed out, "RIN!"

"NAGISAAA!" shouted Rin as he felt hopeless.

Suddenly his eyes widened as he saw Nagisa floating on some sort of a water/bubble float as he saw the blonde reaching for him.

"N-Nagisa!" cried with Rin joy as the blonde floated into Rin's hands.

"Rin-Rin!" said the blonde as the two hugged tightly. Rin spilled a few tears of happiness as he wouldn't let go of him for at least a minute. The two were stuck in the crowd and couldn't get inside.

"We can't get inside," said the red hair.

"I'm okay with that as long as you're with me," smiled Nagisa.

Rin nodded as the blonde wiped his tears away as the necklace glowed a little.

"W-why is your necklace glowing?" asked the blonde.

"I…I can feel the others," said Rin, "They're starting to remember who they are. However, I can only sense three of them…one of them haven't responded."

"You can't feel one of them?" asked Nagisa.

"Haru…Makoto…Rei…I sense them," he replied.

"A-Alex…you can't detect him?" answered the blonde as Rin shook his head.

"S-something must be wrong!" said Nagisa.

"If only we knew more memories...I'm sure we'll get answers...and hopefully we can find a way to get our powers back and our gods too," answered Rin.

"Well I hope nothing bad happened to them," agreed Nagisa.

Rin looked at Nagisa for a moment after they had a pause to think. Before Nagisa could answer, Rin gave him a kiss on the cheek. The two briefly blushed but Nagisa replied with a smile and kissed him back lightly on the lips.

"We should rest now," said Rin as he brought Nagisa close to him and the blonde rested his eyes while Rin's eyes blinked slowly before falling asleep.

* * *

**Shoreline Acarax**

Upon arriving at the shores of Neo Rodinia Magna, the two reunited friends began their long journey as they returned home from the ocean and entering to the familiar but unfamiliar land. Already, Haruka felt a bit saddened by all of this.

"H-Haru?" asked Makoto.

"Ma-Makoto…just why…why did we fight amongst ourselves…the whole time?" asked Haruka.

Makoto sighed and said, "Well, I may not know that answer…but it was only that destiny will help us reunite."

Haruka gasped for a moment as he recalled a memory from someone…

_I had to remember the reason why I swam in the first place…turned out it was my "destiny" to swim all along…_

"Destiny…" muttered Haruka.

"That was our friend's reason to swim right…one of them said that," said Makoto.

"Free…" replied Haruka.

"I swim," chuckled Makoto.

"I know I was with someone…important…but I think you were with Nagisa, right?" asked Haruka.

"I was…" nodded Makoto as he held hands with Haruka, "Back in our previous life…but… I-I missed you a lot though...Haru...I...I don't want to lose you! It's what I said to you back on Earth, it's meaningless without you!"

"M-makoto…" said Haruka as he blushed a little.

"We'll find the others, I promise we will…and…I love you, Haru-chan," smiled Makoto.

"Quit the –chan already," sighed Haruka as Makoto chuckled at the response as they continued the journey.

* * *

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Tachibana and Nanase Pirate Clans joined forces as they took on the journey on the ship to Iglis Magna. This village of the Tachibana Clan originated there years before the tragedy occurred while the Nanase Clan from Terra Magna was located much further out of the way. Iglis Magna was located at the Iglis Mountain Range on Eastern-Central region of the continent.

Awlida stared at the horizon and thought to herself, I'm going to miss Haru…all of the adventures we shared…

Matsuura stood not far from her and noticed that was standing against the edge of the boat. He walked up to her, deciding to break the ice a little.

"Hey um…I-I know we were just fighting each other for the past many years…but…I would like to uh…start a conversation," he said as he smiled with a blush.

Well he looks a bit handsome, she thought as she replied, "Well you know. I guess it's not a bad idea…after meeting the gods and stuff. Anyway, my name is Awlida Thattch and I love adventures, ghost stories as well as swimming! I grew up with Haru and Shira…and you are?"

"Well I am Matsuura Shirou and I enjoy climbing, swimming also…and I like to annoy Anne sometimes," he answered, "I met Makoto after I was from an abandoned ship on the eastern coast. I ended up living with him in the village of Iglis Magna."

"Oh?" replied Awlida, "I thought Anne knew Makoto much longer than you. Oh well, so what kind of food do you like?"

"Oh I love to eat things with pineapple involved," he answered, "I remember when Makoto and I found this big pineapple one day and…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Shirahama made his way to talk to Anne as he was a bit curious also, "So uh…h-how did you, Makoto, and Matsuura met?"

Anne blushed a little and said, "Promise me you won't laugh!"

"I-I won't," he answered, a bit shocked to hear as well as confused.

"Well," she began, "I am scared of dogs and in the village where I lived there was a lots of stray ones who sometimes attacked people and once when I was walking back home they started to chase me. So I started to run but I tripped and fell on the ground. I thought it was over but then I heard some boys yelling. It was Makoto and Matsuura. They scared off the dogs and walked me to my home…from then, I joined them to the crew."

"Oh," said Shirahama, "Don't worry about that; being scared is a normal thing. Besides…"

He smirked as he continued, "Awlida is scared of worms. Once I put some of them under her pillow and I have never heard her scream so much."

"Oh you didn't!" said Anne as she started to laugh a little.

"I did! She didn't speak to me for a week after that!" laughed Shirahama.

Matsuura and Awlida both heard the others laughing about something. They arrived to see what was going on when they caught Shirahama saying, "And you know what the best part was? Awlida jumps on Har-…"

"Are you laughing at me?" asked Awlida, annoyed.

"O-of course not…" said Shirahama, getting nervous.

"Awlida started to hit him on the head as she shouted out, "YOU PROMISED NOT TO TELL ANYONE IDIOT!"

Anne told Matsuura on what the commotion was happening and he started to laugh which shocked Awlida further as she said, "You too! I started to trust you!"

The trio laughed together as Awlida blushed. However, they all knew that this was going to be a great time to bond at least and figure out what has happened to their homes for the last 18 years.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

Alex and Rei woke up the next day and both felt hungry but Alex had other plans in mind. He had to prepare his "overall objection" but he couldn't recall exactly what it was. They were already on the road again as they finally got to a clearing of the forest and heading to a small village of various housings and a few small buildings.

Alex walked at a certain, moderate pace on his feet as he kept silence and ignored Rei as much as he could. He could not understand why he even bothered to have this person with him.

"So…where are we going exactly? You said a place you had to go to…" said Rei.

"Why are you following me?" asked Alex.

"Uh…sorry?" replied Rei.

"Why are you **_FOLLOWING_** me?" he asked again, raising his voice a little as he turned around with a sharp look on his face.

"I…I was looking for you once I remembered my past and I uh…I don't want to lose you again..." said Rei.

"Really? _You mean you want to go through that again?_ " asked Alex.

Rei recalled about the Chiropterans from last night but he answered, "I…I don't want to but _if it means staying close to you then I will endure it._ "

"Why's that?" he replied.

"Because I haven't been looking for you just to find you **_and_** let you disappear again," said Rei as he sighed while Alex turned and kept on walking.

"C-can you at least answer my question!?" said Rei as he tried to keep up.

The two arrived at a mansion of some sort as Rei was astonished on how beautiful it looked. Alex walked up to the door as it opened majestically, prompting the two to enter inside as a small, golden dog stared at them.

"It's been a long time…Alex…and you too, Rei," said the dog.

Rei gasped as he replied, "I-it's a t-talking dog?!"

"It's only been six months, that's not that long," said Alex.

The dog sniffed and licked its fur while a tall looking man in robes walked in and picked up the stuffed-animal and said, "I meant that it's been a long time…since I've seen the **_real_** Alex."

Alex remained silent as Watanuki prompted them to a smaller room. While the witch boy was preparing some tea, Rei sat down in a chair and listened to the silence of the room (aside from the grandfather clock) as he stared at Alex looking at the window.

"So Rei," said Watanuki, "Do you remember this place? You and the others were here…a long time ago."

Rei's eyes blinked as he replied, "A-a little. Some memories haven't come back yet but it does seem familiar here."

"Once the six stars reunite, everything that has forgotten will be returned to their rightful owners," said the witch boy, "But many things have changed after you and the others were born here."

Alex turned around briefly while Rei asked, "What has changed?"

"This world for example," answered Watanuki, "I am sure you tried to research the tragedy 18 years ago…and you think it's linked to Alex; that same tragedy that brought up a war all over land and sea."

"Can I ask you something?" asked Rei.

"I sense you have something to wish for…tell me, what does your heart desire?" asked Watanuki.

He put the tea down for Rei and the other for Alex.

"None for me," said Alex as he turned back to the window.

Rei took a sip on the tea and it was feeling at least delicious and filling, "Can you please tell me what happened to the others?"

"A price must be paid for a wish to be granted," said the witch as he took a brief smoke from his pipe.

Rei wondered for a moment on what he could give. He really didn't have much but then he…

"Here," said the megane, "This phone was a lot of my usage."

The witch boy nodded and handed it over to Maru and Moro and the twin spirit girls dashed off with it. Watanuki took another smoke for a moment before finally explaining what has happened.

"The Suiei Gods… while they were traveling...all of you were inside of them after you passed away on Earth. However, something struck them down and six portals separated all of you. _Makoto...born in Iglis Magna...Haruka...born in Terra Magna...you Rei...Aeuropa City...Nagisa...from the criminal village of Lha'li...and Rin, born as a prince from Neo Tabuk._ "

"How about Alex?" asked Rei.

"That…is rather a different story for him," he answered, "His origin **_lies far different_** than you and the others."

"Do any of them remember our past lives?" asked the megane.

"They are beginning to remember," replied the witch, "As it is foretold…the six stars will reunite."

"Have any of them met each other? I'm sorry for asking a lot…" said Rei.

"Makoto and Haruka fought each other in a war for the last 18 years…Nagisa inevitably met up with Rin at the Palace of Murraba after the former won the dance contest…and now…both of you…are here," said Watanuki.

Alex turned around and replied, "I am. I need a sword…a new one, strong. Can you help me?"

"As long as you pay the price," replied Watanuki, "However I can tell that the sword you're seeking is perhaps something that was yours originally."

Alex remained silent as he followed Maru and Moro to the hallways while Rei took a few more sips on his tea. Watanuki's cheerful-like expression changed to a more darker and serious one.

"I fear you and him are not going too well," said the witch.

"He definitely changed," agreed Rei sadly, "He is more silent than before and I think he doesn't like me. He ignores my questions and I fear that he thinks of me as an annoying little stalker."

"Out of all of you guys…he was affected the most; his origin and birth is kept secret…his true nature, is a secret," replied witch boy.

"C-can you tell me?" asked Rei.

Watanuki shook his head and replied, "Afraid not…it is a secret so dark that it has not been said by many people except for those who lived that day. However, I can find someone that can get you and Alex to them…after all; they carry the burden on their shoulders."

"That would be appreciated," said Rei, "I need to find answers."

"Shall we?" asked Watanuki as he gestured him to follow.

They walk to the storehouse where they see Alex walking through an aisle of various items. Rei even looked around in fascination of the store.

"Wow…a bunch of weird but beautiful things," said Rei as he turned to see Alex observing the sword carefully. The hunter looked at a particular dragon-shape base with a design that seemed awfully familiar to him.

 _The Dragon Kopis Sword_ , he thought, _this is what I need…_

He picked it out and looked at the design carefully.

"I had a feeling you would choose that one," said Watanuki after he took a smoke from his pipe.

Alex opened the sword up from its sheath and looked at the blade as it was clear as mirror while Rei stared at him.

"What does it cost?" asked Alex.

Watanuki took another smoke and replied, "We'll discuss price later."

"Very well," he answered.

Once they were settled, Alex got his sword inside a bag/sack while Rei was beginning to understand about the others but he could only hope to learn the truth about Alex. The hunter was already leaving the door while Rei hurried to his shoes.

"Hey wait for me!" shouted Rei while Alex walked out. He paused for a moment but kept on walking out.

"Thank you for answering my questions witch boy," said the megane as he made a quick bow of gratitude and rushed out.

Rei saw Alex already back in the streets, walking at the same slow pace.

"Oi!" said Rei as he barely caught up, "W-why didn't you wait?!"

Alex kept silent and Rei asked, "So then…where are we going?"

"There's nothing here that's worth my time," replied Alex finally, "The shop was all I need."

"Alright then," said Rei as the two kept on walking in silence. They eventually made their way out of the small city and walked on the slopes of the hills.

"So…you don't remember our past life, do you?" asked Rei.

"I don't care about the past…I only kill," said Alex.

Rei ignored that part and kept going, "Well I remember how we first met. You came to Japan and at first I didn't trust you just like you don't trust me now. I thought you were a spy of some sort but you were quite a person to hang around with."

 _The hell is he thinking_ , thought Alex before he asked, "Japan?"

"Well I think that's the name of the country we were from…at least I and the others ...however you weren't from there," answered the megane.

The other boy sighed and said, "Obviously you won't go away…so keep going."

Rei sighed to himself and thought, _When I think I'm getting closer to him, he starts to ignore me again…dammit._

"You know, I remember that I was under a curse…I almost killed someone I loved," said Rei.

"And did you kill this person?" asked Alex.

"No, but I almost did, thankfully I was stopped before it happened," he replied.

"…sounds like this person was important to you," said the other boy while he kept a tight grip on his sword.

"He was…and he still is," nodded Rei.

"…..did you and this person promised something?" asked Alex.

" _We promised to find each other in our next life and be together because we couldn't in the past_ ," explained Rei.

"What made you and this person cannot stay together?" asked the other boy.

"Well for one," said Rei, "We were in relationships with other people…though I was originally a bit jealous at him…I had someone that protected me also. However, it didn't stop me from loving him in my heart…even though he was one way and I was the other way."

Alex stopped as he felt a slight change in the atmosphere and replied, "It's here…stay on your guard."

"Wh-what's here?" asked Rei as he fixed his glasses.

The ground began to rumble and Alex readied his sword out and put a cut to his thumb as he filled up the sword with his blood. The ground in front of them exploded as a large-size Megascolide appeared and screeched.

"WATCH OUT!" shouted Alex as he grabbed Rei to the side as they dodged the attack. Rei was horrified at the size of the monster but Alex charged up to the monster.

"RAAAAAAHHHH!" growled the hunter as his eyes turned red and sliced the head part off. The Megascolide exploded some red blood out while some green fluid drained out. Rei was stunned at how powerful this Alex was.

"The green fluid is poisonous…but one it's drained; the flesh is edible…once it's cooked properly," muttered Alex.

Rei gasped as he instantly lost his appetite, "A-Are we going to eat this!?"

Alex looked at him sharply and said, "This is where most of you guys eat meat anyway…didn't they taught you that?"

"W-well yes," replied Rei as he had a sweat-drop of nervousness, "Bu-but isn't this is a bit too…much?"

They managed to start working together a little to set up something to eat. Although Alex was still silent to Rei a bit, he did get to learn a few things so far...but the boy had no idea if Rei would accept the truth from him.

 _And that's why I am worried_ , thought Alex _, will he accept me after I tell him the truth? Or will I end up alone?_

* * *

The two continued their way after a strange dinner and arrived at a small clearing by a lake.

"We'll rest here," said Alex as he rested his sword by a giant rock.

Rei looked up to see the moon and said, "Oh the sky looks so beautiful tonight! It's a full moon too!"

Alex walked up to see it and saw the bright, circular-faced moon reflecting from the sunlight to it. Before Rei could ask him, he saw Alex floating a bit up from the ground.

"W-what's going on!?" asked Rei as Alex closed his eyes and felt a sense of warmth going through his body. Swirls of water flowed around him as his body was glowing yellow.

Rei was beginning to freak out at the sight as he saw this strange transformation of some sort. Finally, the boy floated back down and opened his eyes and gasped an innocent facial expression.

"Re-Rei?" asked Alex as he clasped his hands over his heart. The megane noticed that his voice was different…much, much different.

"C-could this be?" asked Rei, shocked.

Before he could reply, Alex glomped onto him and they fell on top of the soft grassy ground as the smiling boy said, "How long have I waited…for this night."

Rei started to spill tears and answered, hugging him tightly, "I thought you'd never come back to me! Oh my Alex!"

The other boy smiled and wiped his tears saying, "There, there…I am back. But listen…this is very important that you must understand here.'"

"E-eh?" asked Rei as he tried to calm down on the tears.

"This happened once before… ** _on the night of a full moon_**. Only then is when I can remember who I am…the most," he explained.

Rei gasped at this and asked, "So then, does this mean that after this…you'll go back to that dark side of yourself and won't remember me anymore until the next full moon?"

Alex remained silent for a moment before replying, "I cannot guarantee what will become of me after tonight…I was born under a spell…a dangerous one thanks to the blood line I was born by."

"A spell?" asked Rei, realizing that this was going to be a problem to be together as he almost wanted to cry again, but he had to hear it out.

"Thanks to that curse…I was _born as a weapon, not a human_ ," said Alex.

"A weapon?" asked Rei.

"You saw how I can kill the monsters…Chiropterans…Megascolides…" he explained, "It's my job to protect everyone from them…and most of all; you and the others when we reunite."

Rei sniffed and hugged him tighter; he was at least happy to have this moment even though it would be a short-lived memory of happiness.

"When this happened the last time, I told myself to not forget….but it wasn't easy," said Alex.

"Why wasn't it easy for you? And what made you decide to protect everyone?" asked Rei.

"…I…I wanted to tell you, but I'm scared," he answered, as it was his turn to spill some tears, "I want to love you…but if I told you the truth...I…"

"Nothing will change my opinion about you, my love," said the megane, wiping Alex's tears, "Nothing…I swear it!"

"Well, I only recently reverted back to my darker self, so I don't know much about that specific past but a few things…" he continued, "I know this. I was born in a family of monsters…but unlike the rest, I was the most human…and born as a male instead of being a female…which made my mother tried to kill me."

Rei gasped at the revelation and hugged him even more, "Wh-why? Why would she do that?"

"That I don't know…apparently, I survived and was brought in by a group of people that call themselves 'The Watchers'. They are an organization that is at war against the ones who created the monsters on this planet…and seeing that I was born from the monsters; they made me into what is known as the "Weapon of Duniya"."

"I see," said Rei as he tried to keep all of this knowledge in his mind.

"However, as part of the curse that I am born with…I can only be awake for about 2 – 3 years. After that, I undergo a stasis/hibernation cycle for 30 years where my age is stopped. When I wake up, I lose my memories and then I get retrained."

"H-how much time do you have left?" asked Rei, getting a bit nervous.

"I don't know either," he replied, "But usually what happens is that once I get closer to the cycle, I tend to get more fainting episodes and black outs."

"Did you faint recently?" asked Rei.

Alex shook his head and replied, "I don't think so…if anything, I was living in a town for a year so I still got some time at least…depending on the missions I must go through."

Rei took out the photo he retrieved from the town and said, "Here. I found this in your old house while I searched for you."

"T-those people!" gasped Alex as he remembered his time being with them, "We weren't related by blood but I was with them for the year…and it was happy. I don't know why I was with them though…"

"Well maybe they wanted you to live happy," smiled Rei, "You were happy in the photo with your siblings and your mother."

Alex looked at Rei's purple eyes and his blue hair, brushing his hand through the strands of blue-ness.

"I…I love you…Rei," said Alex, "Deep down I love you…even if I can only feel it tonight…I want this…you and I. I remember our vow…we swore to be together no matter what…"

"I'm happy to at least spend the night with you like this…I promise you, I will find a solution to this madness so you can remember everything and regain your powers back!" replied Rei as he brushed his hand through Alex's hair.

"I hope to regain myself permanently…I miss my Suiei God…and you…and the others too," answered Alex.

Rei nodded as Alex moved down for a kiss on the lips. The two held their lips locking for a minute before taking a breath. Their mouths explored each other as they could feel drenched in saliva. Finally, Alex took a breath.

"I'm sorry to have treated you badly," said Alex, "But do not leave my side no matter what the other me persuades you to do."

"I won't leave you, I promise," replied Rei.

The other boy got off of Rei and began to strip off his clothes as he could see the calm lake waiting for the two of them, "You wanna go in?"

Rei nodded and began to strip off his clothes while Alex got into the lake in nudity and turned to see Rei's all-out strong, sculptured body.

"I see you're as beautiful as ever," said Alex.

"You're looking sexy yourself," replied Rei as he looked at his partner's strong-shaped anatomy. Alex pinned Rei down while grinding in a frottage while holding Rei's hands. The megane licked on his partner's neck and began to suck on it to make a hickey.

"Ah…aaaah," moaned the other boy as he prayed that the moon would stay out long enough for them to bond together.

 _A single cloud and it'll be a disaster_ , thought Alex as he could feel Rei kissing all over him from neck to his abs.

Rei stopped for a moment and asked, "How do you want to do this? It's your night and I'll do whatever you please."

"Ignite a part of you inside of me, that way…even when I am not like this…at least something from you will be there," he replied.

"If that's what you wish," said Rei as he kissed him softly on the lips and flipped around, pinning his mate to the ground, kissing his chest and moving downwards.

Alex moaned and could feel himself stiffening as Rei arrived at the tower and took a small taste of it before going in.

 _T-thank you Rei_ , thought Alex, _maybe this will help me…_

He moaned in pleasure as Rei began to go deeper and faster, tasting the hardened shaft inside his mouth. Alex grunted and kept his grip on the blades of the grass as he could feel himself reaching to the limit.

"Aaah…aaah…R-Reeiiii!" he said as his tower climaxed through, pouring inside and feeding into Rei. The megane looked at the golden eyes of his partner while the other boy stared into the purple eyes before him.

Rei moved up for another kiss while Alex hugged Rei tightly, deepening their kiss and touching their tongues. A familiar voice suddenly came to life inside of Alex's mind:

_My dear boy, you're finally beginning to understand and remember you TRUE past from Earth, don't let go of Rei while you continue your journey…as for me, I cannot be there until you get rid of your curse…_

_S-Suiei_ , thought Alex as he smiled to himself. Rei moved his hand to the entrance below and poked one finger inside.

"Ack..aah…aaah," he groaned as Rei looked at him in worry but the other boy nodded to keep moving as he arched his back a little. Rei slid in a second finger to expand the tunnel a bit more. After a few moments of breathing and grunting, Rei withdrew the fingers and lined himself up, looking at his beloved person before him.

He began to push inside and the two grunted and shared more passionate noises, feeling the heat between them as they were becoming one whole puzzle. Rei swayed back and forth slowly and rubbed his hands over Alex's chest and licking on his neck.

"R-Rei…" said Alex as he blushed a bit and arched his back again, feeling the climax approaching again as his tower rubbed between him and Rei.

 _He's…really…so good_ , thought Rei as he moaned and could feel his pressure about to explode. At the final thrust and hitting the sensitive spot inside, the two exploded fountains of white, bringing in a sense of warmth and cool as one.

They shared another kiss again as Rei replied, "I love you."

"Oh Rei…I love you too," said Alex, wanting to cry with happiness.

"I wish we could be like this," answered the megane, "It's a shame that you won't be like it afterwards."

"We will someday," he said, "I hope to regain my magic and my Suiei God as well."

Rei removed his shaft and sat next to him, holding his hand and blushing a little as well.

"We have a job to do," said Alex, "I hope the information I told you will help."

"It will," replied Rei, "Thank you."

Rei gave him a kiss on the cheek and the two got out of the water as Alex got dressed again and said, "It's best that we rest now. You don't want to see my dark side in this condition."

They both got dressed and Alex lied down on the grass, saying, "I won't forget you...I'll try what I can to hold up...but if I don't...please forgive me."

"Of course I will," smiled Rei, "I know it will be hard for me but I know that after we break this curse we will be together every day with the others and ourselves."

Alex smiled again as he spilled some tears of happiness as he closed his eyes; he had some hope at least but the quest was far from over. He was a monster and Rei was a human…there had to be a way to get back to normal, right?

Rei saw some clouds covering up the moon as Alex's genuine smiled turned back to his cold, dark, neutral face, sleeping.

 _I promise you_ , thought Rei, _I will find a way to fix all of this no matter what…_

* * *

Meanwhile, Rasputin jumped through the trees as he saw what was occurring through the lake. He saw the strange magic on his brother and realized that he had no ability to hijack his body while he was on the night of the full moon.

As for the other boy, he sensed great power radiating out of him and knew that this was not good.

 _So…it was foretold_ , thought Rasputin, _the six stars…mama was right on._

He grew out his wings and jumped into the skies, soaring his way back to the castle. There would be another day to play with blood and guts once the opportunity was right.

"And then, we shall become as one," smirked Rasputin as he pushed his wings further

**~Episode 4 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 5 PV~**

**Makoto** : Haru? You think that we…?

 **Haruka** : Now what?

 **Makoto** : How long has it been since I've wanted to hold you…taste you….

 **Haruka** : Eh?

 **Rei** : I came here to know the truth about this world! What happened 18 years ago?

 **Jadwiga** : And the truth you shall have...but are you ready to face it?

 **Alex** : I have no intention of obeying your orders!

 **Nagisa** : In this town, it is filled with ruins but…maybe we can find clues about the others.

 **Rin** : Next time, Free!, **_Breakout of Betrayal; Truth of the Past!_** _What really happened 18 years ago? Who is responsible for causing all of our sorrows?_

_**~~~See you water next time! (Wed. April 16, 2014)** _


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Nagisa arrive at Lha'li while beginning a journey to find the others where they find a mysterious book that may help them and the others fulfill their mission. Rei and Alex are captured during their journey while Makoto and Haruka take their first stop at Aeuropa City for their own mission. Meanwhile, the horrible past of Herisia is FINALLY revealed in a two-part flashback that reveals the connection of Alex and Rasputin!

**_Episode 5:_ ** **_裏切りのブレイクアウト、過去の真実_ ** **_！_ ** **_Breakout of Betrayal; Truth of the Past!_ **

In the midst of chaos at Neo Tabuk, the only train that left moved out west, heading across the Las Jangwa Desert. Rin and Nagisa slept through most of the way as nightfall occurred for several hours. While it is unknown to what has become of the city, Rin could only fear that there will be more uprisings to come until the gods can intervene and the six stars to reunite.

He blinked his eyes awake and muttered, "W-where are we?"

Nagisa rubbed his eyes awake and said, "Rin? Do you know where this train is heading to?"

"I thought this train led to your village?" asked Rin.

"It does," replied the blonde, "I had to use it to get to the city."

Rin looked around before he whispered to Nagisa's ear and asked, "Is it true that your town…was dangerous?"

"Yes…" said Nagisa, "I'm sure you've heard the stories and what not."

"How did you managed to grow up there?" asked Rin, "I'm sorry if it's personal…but I can only image how hard it must have been."

"Well," replied the blonde, "My parents did their best to find a safe place in the town since they were so worried about me. It wasn't easy living there…but as long as you knew where to stay away from, you're almost safe."

Rin nodded as Nagisa continued, "I was growing up as a dancer but I had some opportunities to swim though out in the desert by a few rare oases. But being a dancer does attract attention so I had to be careful when I walked around the city and with whoever I was with."

"So you were swift and sneaky this whole time that helped you avoid the danger?" asked Rin.

"Yeah…there were close times. But I'm doing okay so you don't need to worry," smiled the blonde.

Rin smiled a little before his face turned serious again, asking, "Did you ever have dreams about the others…or the gods or anyone we remembered back in our past lives?"

"Well I did remember a dream or two," replied Nagisa, "There was one with you and Haru-chan and Mako-chan and we were hugging and laughing together in victory."

"Sounds like it was worth it," said Rin.

"Yeah, it was," nodded the blonde.

Rin turned to see the sunrise from the window as they were approaching to a new day.

"How much long until we arrive?" asked Rin.

"Maybe 15…20 minutes?" shrugged Nagisa as he somewhat recognized the area of the location.

 _I hope the others are okay too_ , thought Rin, _I don't know where they are at._

The two arrived at the Lha'li station at the terminal. Already by the looks of the area, Rin knew that it was mainly a torn down city except for a few buildings. A massive exodus of people from the train were making their way out and heading to whatever they can get access to. However, the sudden crowd drew attention to the residents there. Rin was already feeling uncomfortable about the city as he felt a dark presence.

"I know it looks terrible and what not," said Nagisa, "But just follow me, okay?"

They got off of the train as their clothes transform to a more of a rag-like and poverty style to not stand out. The two walked their way through the crowds as they were heading to the central area of the town. Rin saw two strange looking guys in a conversation of some sort but kept his ears open.

"Did you see all of those people?" asked a random civilian.

"Yeah, they got no idea on what they'll see here," chuckled another.

"But not only that…didn't you see what happened a few nights ago?" asked the first one.

Nagisa dragged Rin towards his favorite bazaar and said, "I want to buy something for my family. Perhaps I should a scarf or two…or maybe something to eat?"

"Oh?" asked Rin, as he kept his ears in fine tune.

"Those wealthy bastards must have come from Neo Tabuk," said another civilian.

"Tell me about it, they got no idea what went down here," sighed another, "Gigantic winged monsters with no heads but lips were on the bellies."

Nagisa purchased a small basket of apples when he also heard the strange conversation while Rin kept silent.

"I've heard there's a hunter that comes out every 30 years or so to clean up the mess," said the random civilian.

Nagisa turned to civilians and asked, "Excuse me but what happened? You are speaking about some monsters attacking this town and a hunter? Who was that?"

"Ugh, get lost you nosy bastard!" growled the first civilian.

"This ain't any of your business, Tabuk snob!" said the other civilian.

Nagisa grunted in anger as his eyes flickered hot pink and said, "Excuse me!? I was BORN here!"

"My…who is that good looking girl of yours?" asked the second civilian.

"She looks tasty! Is she available?" asked the first.

Rin growled as he took off his hood and walked up to them, punching one of them in the face. The other civilian shoved him out and said, "Excuse you, fucking Tabuk scum!"

Nagisa stood between the two of them in pace but the civilian giggled as he realized something, "Well lookie what we got, this is not just a typical rival here…"

The other civilian coughed out some blood and recognized Rin's face as the prince from Neo Tabuk, "Get him!"

Nagisa grabs Rin's hand and said, "Let's go! We better get on the move."

The two rushed off as the civilians began to spread rumors around about the legendary prince of Neo Tabuk here in the outcasts of Lha'li.

"I can't believe the prince of Tabuk is here, quite a show this is!" sneered one of the civilians.

"Did he disappoint his people?" asked another.

"Quickly!" said Nagisa, "This way!"

The two turned into an alley, rushing through the narrowed streets while trying to avoid any possible traps that would spring out around. Nagisa led Rin through a hole in the wall, entering into a dark place.

"Behind this is an old library here," said Nagisa, "Hurry!"

Rin scrambled his way inside through the hole and saw Nagisa hiding behind the corner with a series of book shelves.

"W-whoa there," said a stunned Rin, "All of these books…"

"You need to be careful though," replied Nagisa, "Some of them are old and fragile…I tried to look at a book once but it turned to dust. But anyway, I used this to hide when I needed to get away from the world."

Rin walked around through the aisles and muttered, "I would assume this town was once beautiful…but how did it end up like this?"

"I've heard different rumors," replied the blonde, "but my parents know what happened here…however, they haven't told me anything."

"The people of Neo Tabuk spoke very little of this place," answered Rin, "I once asked to the royals and the sultans but they refused to answer."

The red-hair walked his way over to a cabinet where there were a stash of file folders and papers. He opened up one of the folders and gasped.

"W-what is this!?" he gasped as he saw a series of photos with bloodshed.

Nagisa rushed up to him to take a closer look and his eyes widened at them. Rin flipped the picture over and saw the word "Chiroptrean" on the back.

"W-what does this mean?" asked Nagisa, "What…and who is this Chiroptrean?"

"Take a closer look," said Rin, "They look like the visions that we saw earlier….if not the same thing."

He flipped the pictures again and saw another one that shocked him even further.

"N-no!" he cried, "It-it can't be!"

"What's wrong!?" asked Nagisa, worried, "W-what did you see?"

Rin handed the pictures over and Nagisa saw what looked like Alex in the photo of bloodshed and violence with another photo of him and Anya, Aki, and Georgia.

"It has to be him," said Rin, wanting to spill a tear, "The faces look exactly the same!"

"B-but why does he have a sword?" asked Nagisa.

Rin looked at the documents to read over and said, "Well…according to what it says here; he was born from a family of what is known to be "top-secret" beings. He was made into a weapon, to kill all monsters including Chiropterans, Acephaliterans, Oorn, Megascolides, and other monsters that would threat the people in this world. However, he would enter a period of hibernation in a 30-year cycle where his age stops growing and upon his awakening, he is to be retrained and remember his duty. "

"But how is he in both of the photos though? Their faces look similar but not exactly the same if you ask me," replied Nagisa.

"But if that's him…in the other photo, you think that he was the killer of all of the people!?" asked Rin, "You probably have heard of the Tragedy of Herisia; I know it every well."

"And if those people said something about a hunter every 30 years…you think they were talking about Alex?" asked Nagisa.

"Back on the train, I was able to feel the other's presence in this world…because they are beginning to remember their lives," said Rin.

"But one of them didn't…" replied Nagisa, realizing the truth, "You think that Alex won't get his memories back?!"

Rin was already feeling upset by the minute and saddened at the same time, "We-we have to find them! Maybe there's something we can do…for the team!"

Nagisa nodded and turned to see some documents lying on the ground, "Hey Rin-Rin, look! It looks like there's some information about this thing…called…"The Watchers?"

Rin picked up the documents and briefly read it over and saw Alex's name and replied, "So it appears that they know him…we need to get a hold of them…and see what they can tell us."

The red-hair prince yawned as he was feeling a bit tired from the long journey; he needed to think this over and figure out what had to be done.

"Yes we should, but we need to rest first. Let's try to get to my house, but we need to be careful," replied Nagisa.

"Right," said Rin.

The two made their way through the towns carefully as the sun was heating up the town. Their clothes changed into more cloak-like outfits to hide themselves from the people earlier as they blend into the crowd.

They crossed their way through several of the streets before they turned down to another alley as the sun was beginning to set down slowly.

"You'll love my parents," smiled Nagisa, "They really are such awesome people."

Rin followed Nagisa while checking his surroundings to make sure they weren't followed but the cloaks managed to conceal them for the most part. Finally they arrived at the small hut in the side of town that was still somewhat relatively decent but the air smelled foul.

"Here we are!" said the blonde as he opened the door, "Mum! Dad, I am…huh!?"

Rin walked inside and saw a mess as Nagisa was freaking out a bit to see what has happened. He rushed over through the mess and saw some remains of a disgusting looking monster with heads that resembled….

"No…NOOOOO!" screamed the blonde as he recognized the horror mess before him, "MOM! DAD!"

Rin gasped as he saw the remains of Nagisa's parents before him as well as the monster that was eating them. It was somehow shot down by something and it had gigantic looking lips on the abdomen or something. Nagisa turned to Rin and hugged him tightly while shedding tears down.

"I'm so sorry," said Rin as he spilled a few tears down.

"Rin…" replied Nagisa, still spilling some tears, "Don't leave me, okay? I love you."

"And I love you too," he answered, not letting go of him.

"This is my entire fault," said Nagisa, "If only I didn't have gone to the competition…I…I would've…"

"If you stayed, I don't know if you would have survived that monster or that mess that we heard earlier. Not to mention you and I wouldn't have met up and remember," replied Rin, "I'm sure they are glad that you were safe out of harm's way."

Nagisa sniffed and spilled a few more tears, "T-thank you."

"It's not safe here," said Rin, "We need to get back to the library."

The blonde wiped his tears off and nodded, "It's probably a safe haven after all."

Tow two made their way back to the streets and returned to the library safely while Rin held hands to his sexy penguin, knowing that they would have to stay close together and pray that the others were safe. Once they got back, they saw a strange glowing light coming from a different side of the room.

"Strange," said Nagisa, "I don't recall a light in here."

Rin followed the glowing light as the blonde followed him right behind. They turned to a corner and saw a heavy-looking book on a podium or something.

"A-another book?" asked the blonde, "I wonder what this one is about."

They walked up to the podium as Rin grabbed the book and opened it, at first it was some strange looking language of some sort but then it became legible to read.

He turned a few pages when the book suddenly flared to life and several pages flipped over on its own like a fan.

"W-what is this?" asked Rin, watching a gigantic ball of fire in the photos turning into a world of water and land growing with life all across.

"I…I've never seen such a thing," said Nagisa, stunned by the sight, "Is there more?"

Rin flipped the pages and his eyes widened in shock, seeing the Five Suiei Gods and their adventures in Ancient Greece and Macedonia. There was a shadowy figure that was hidden in the background which caught Rin's attention.

"Is this some kind of journal?" asked Nagisa.

"I think it's more like a story…" said Rin as he flipped a few pages and saw a picture of the five of them in the relay after Rei switched with Rin."

Nagisa gasped and replied," T-that's us! Is this OUR story!?"

Rin saw a scene of himself crying over Haruka about wanting to swim in the relay and himself talking to some gray-hair kid with a smile on his face.

"Senpai! Senpai!" echoed the figure.

 _He seems familiar_ , thought Rin.

The two saw another scene of them obtaining the Suiei Gods and receiving their magic for the first time as they were all rescuing Haruka from a mad-scientist and a female chairman who turned out to be the son of the scientist.

Curious, Nagisa turned several pages over and saw himself and the others fighting against a group of shadow cloaked beings but that same "shadow" censor was blocking out the final person. He was all just shocked on all of the scenes in general.

Rin had enough so he closed the book and said, "A lot has developed our past…we're taking this with us."

"We'll need to find the others soon and show them this," agreed Nagisa, "Maybe we can build our memories together in this book!"

Rin put the book down to the side and looked at the blonde before him, "I know…however."

"Eh?" asked Nagisa.

Rin smirked a smile and said, "I wanted to have some fun with you earlier…but we couldn't."

This time, it was Nagisa's turn to smile as he pushed Rin down to the ground and pinned him with his own sexy grin, looking at his muscular companion before him.

"Hehehe," smirked the blonde, "I've wanted to taste your lips…Rin-Rin!"

Before Rin could reply, Nagisa shoved his mouth into Rin's and the two were locked in a kiss, feeling each other's mouths, lips, and tongues drenching in saliva.

Once they took a breath, Rin replied, "N-Nagi-sa…oof!"

The blonde was already grinding himself to his sexy shark while he removed their cloaks and their shirts. He reached down to Rin's pants and to his shaft, rubbing it to warm up.

"H-how could I have forgotten you were top?" asked Rin while trying to hold his moans.

Nagisa chuckled and said, "Oh I'm going to make you feel it all."

He removed Rin's pants and saw the tower pointed upwards like a flower as Rin blushed and closed his eyes. Nagisa takes a brief taste at the tip before making his way in.

"N-Na-gi…saaaah," moaned Rin as recalled how the blonde was always the top when he and Makoto were together.

Nagisa made his way in as he throbbed back and forth with his mouth, tasting Rin completely. The red-hair moaned loudly in pleasure.

 _Sh-shit_ , thought Rin, _he's going to co-consume me…_

The blonde sucked his way in back and forth, listening to Rin's moans as the red-hair could feel the climax approaching. He started to move faster and faster until Rin unleashed his fluid of love flowing inside.

"S-sexy…pe-penguin…" moaned Rin as Nagisa withdrew his mouth and licked his lips from enjoying the whiteness.

"Hehehe, so I am **_YOUR_** sexy penguin," chuckled the blonde as he crawled up to Rin and kissed him while grinding again and flirting. Rin hugged around his beloved blonde and moaned in pleasure while wanting to feel him inside.

"Damn you're such a natural at this," said Rin.

"Thanks to my memories of being with Makoto…and I read some books here about sex," smirked Nagisa as he kissed him again deeply.

 _W-what will this penguin do to me_ , thought Rin, _he better do something good or else…_

Nagisa took a breath from the kiss and was about to poke his finger inside when he heard a voice inside his mind from Suiei Hazuki.

"Nagisa, I see you weren't equipped for this…thankfully I had something back from Earth that I saved for you…" said the Suiei God.

Nagisa turned to see a bottle of Strawberry Flavored lube in his right hand as Rin tried to lift his head up to see what was going on.

"Have fun, but remember that you are not one to be messed around with," said Suiei Hazuki.

"Huh? What the hell just happened?" asked Rin.

Nagisa turned back to Rin, making a sexy-psychotic looking face that almost creep Rin out while the blonde opened the bottle to smell the flavor/scent, making them both feel so horny for each other.

"You ready?" asked Nagisa as he pinned him down and covered his fingers with the lube.

"N-nagisa," moaned Rin as he was feeling the passion coming from the lube.

"Don't worry," smirked the blonde, "I'll take gooood care of you."

Nagisa poked his finger through Rin's entrance and wiggled around as the red-hair grunted and displayed his shark teeth while holding himself together. The blonde put a second on in to further open the entrance.

"Ack..aaah….aaaaah, Na-nagisa…!" moaned Rin.

"Does it hurt?" asked Nagisa.

"Aaaah…..I…I want you," said Rin.

After another moment, Nagisa pulled his fingers out and lined himself up with his shaft poking at the entrance. Rin nodded and the blonde pushed himself inside while moaning a bit.

"Aaaah…AAH...aaah!" moaned Rin as he pulled him down for a kiss. Once they took a breath, Nagisa began to sway faster and faster, reaching the heat levels high and feeling the intensity of passion between each other.

"N-Nagisa…aaahhh!" breathed Rin as Nagisa continued to keep going and rubbed his hands on Rin's chest and rubbing them to feel the muscles.

Rin pulled Nagisa down for a kiss while feeling the heat increasing inside of him. The blonde could feel the climax approaching.

"Aaaah, R-Rin-Rin…I-I'm close…" moaned Nagisa as he went in deeper and felt the sweet spot.

"N-Nagisa…" breathed Rin, "I-I love you…"

Nagisa felt Rin tightening around him and finally exploded a wave of white sensation of love flooding inside of the muscular red-hair boy. Rin's tower spasm and unleashed a fountain of sweetness splattering on him and the blonde.

The blonde kissed Rin again and answered, "I love you too!"

"Oh you got away this time," smirked Rin, "Makoto may be too nice for you…but you're up for a challenge with me in terms of playing around. I'll definitely get you next time."

"Hehehe, I can't wait," giggled Nagisa before getting sassy, "You can try to get me but remember that I'm always ready to pin you down!"

"Oh it's on," replied Rin but before he could add on, the both heard a screeching roar coming from the outside.

"W-what was that!?" gasped Nagisa as he withdrew himself.

Rin got up and tossed Nagisa's clothes back while dressing up in a hurry, "That…did NOT sound good!"

Nagisa rushed his clothes while Rin grabbed the mysterious book that they discovered and the two snuck their way through the halls to hear where the source of noise was coming from.

* * *

In the dark, empty streets, Tesseract walked down through the silent town as the moonlight shined over. He brought over a set of Acephliterans in order to recover something by Pandora's orders.

"How a shame," smirked Tesseract, crushing a skull, "The people here really do hide at night."

Rin saw the monster-looking beast before him as Tesseract stood tall and mighty with his vampire-like wings.

 _W-who is that_ , thought Rin, _who is that man!?_

"I think we should go," whispered Nagisa, "I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Not with that army of…" began Rin when they dodged themselves back in the wall as Tesseract turned his head sharply.

"This way!" whispered Nagisa loudly as he led Rin through the library again and heading out to a different exit while the "Father" of the Chiroptreans punched through the wall and walked in.

"I'm surprised this place still existed…just as what my honey told me," he muttered, "Now then, she said there was a compendium that she wanted destroyed."

Tesseract walked into the place where he was instructed that the compendium was at but he saw an empty podium. He roared loudly and used his powers of the 4th Dimension to see Nagisa and Rin running with the book.

"Go…" he muttered.

The Acephaliterans screeched and flew up to the skies, flying in circles until they saw Nagisa and Rin running for their lives. The two lovers held hands tightly as the monsters screeched and began to soar down towards the.

Rin turned to see the gigantic headless bats with massive wings and mouths on their bellies which gave him a sense of creepiness. The monsters readied with claws but at the last moment, he threw up a water shield that blocked their attacks. Nagisa was too afraid to look back.

"Waters of the spears, make haste to thy prey!" chanted Rin as a thin blast of water knives stabbed some of them down but it was futile.

 _Dammit_ , thought the red-hair, _our powers are still limited and we are nowhere near the others!_

"What are we going to do!?" shouted Nagisa, narrowing dodging an attack, "They're gaining on us!"

The Acehpliterans screeched and tried to claw both of them but Nagisa threw up a water shield. Rin saw an oasis ahead and their clothes transformed into their swim suits of black, red, and pink with their goggles at the ready for them.

"GO!" shouted Rin as they both jumped and dove into the deep puddle before them. The Acehpliterans tried to get them but hissed and screeched at first. Suddenly, the water flared to life and attacked them, forcing them to retreat.

The two took the surface and breathed in relief.

"Thank god we found this," sighed Rin, exhausted.

"I don't know what we would've done without it," agreed Nagisa.

"This is bad, we need to find the others," replied Rin, "Before it gets worse."

"But we don't know where they are at," said Nagisa, "All we know is that Rei-chan is running, Mako-chan and Haru-chan are fighting and Alex-chan is nowhere to be seen."

"We're going to have to keep moving and get out of this desert," he answered before turning to him, "We'll be alright."

Nagisa nodded and turned to see the book floating before them before Suiei Hazuki and Matsuoka appeared in midair.

"Suiei!" gasped Rin.

"We are glad to get a hold of you finally," said Suiei Matsuoka.

"And I'm happy to see you again, my sweet Nagisa," smiled Suiei Hazuki before giving Rin a brief glare like how he did with Makoto back on Earth.

Rin wanted to hug his Suiei God but realized that they were not "completely whole" yet.

"We cannot really reach out to you yet until all six of you reunite," said Suiei Matsuoka, "But we are always by your side and support you."

"Can you help us find a way to leave this desert?" asked Nagisa.

"There is a path that will get you two out...but it will be challenging..." began Matsuoka.

"Yes, please be careful!" agreed Hazuki, "There are some monsters and we don't want you to get hurt!"

"Sounds like we'll have to keep running," sighed Rin as he gets out of the water while the blonde followed right behind him.

"Well, there is one thing that may help you," said Suiei Matsuoka as he snapped his fingers, giving Rin a sword and Nagisa a spell book as well as transforming their clothes back to Arab style.

"Your Arabian Clothes didn't have the right weapons to be used but at least you are now equipped. When in battle, you will need to master your abilities," explained Suiei Hazuki.

"Thanks for your help!" smiled Nagisa and he turned to Rin, holding his and said, "We have to go now, Rin-chan!"

"Yeah," nodded the red-hair.

The two began their journey through as time passed through the night while their Suiei Gods made sure to stay by their side and pray for their success. It was going to be a journey for them before they would finally reunite with the others at last.

* * *

Meanwhile, Makoto and Haruka walked through the forests for at least several hours of the day. They were going through a long trek and knew that there was not much time on their hands to waste.

"Haru-chan, if we were going to a city, where would you want to go?" asked Makoto.

"...somewhere with a pool," he replied.

"Aside from that!" said Makoto, "Haru, we don't know where the others are at...not to mention that we've been away at sea for at least 10 years of our lives on this world!"

"Well… the others are probably in these cities...scattered as they are but assuming that if the gods were right, they should be teaming up now and are probably wondering where we are," answered Haruka.

"Well I do remember a large city from long ago...one of my crew members came from there but he was kicked out for some illegal thing that he did," muttered Makoto, "…I think it was..Aeuropa...Aeuropa City."

They arrived at the cliff side and saw a gigantic city before them at the bottom of some valley with gigantic walls and gates around the perimeter.

"Looks like we are here," said Haurka.

"Yeah but look at the defense walls...they're encircling all around!" gasped Makoto.

"Perhaps we got no other choice," muttered Haruka.

"Haru?" asked Makoto.

The other boy closed his eyes and asked, "Nanase…can you hear us?"

"Yes," replied the echo of the Suiei God, "We cannot reach out to you guys as much but we are here in your hearts."

"Take us to the city," answered the boy, "We need to find out if anyone of our team mates are in town."

"Our magic is limited at the moment," said Suiei Nanase, "It will be difficult for the transfer."

"Why's that?" asked Haruka.

"Our enemy is not far away and if they sense your presence, they will find you," replied Suiei Tachibana as he tried to make a visible appearance to the boys.

"I-is someone after us?" asked Makoto.

Tachibana nodded and replied, "Yes, this enemy is…"

But the god faded away before he could finish his phrase.

"Great," sighed Makoto, "We can't even figure out who is our prey."

"Let's go," said Haruka, "We have to find a way to get around the city…"

* * *

**Location: "The Watcher's HQ"**

Anya stood inside of an executive office rom where Aki was speaking to a woman who appeared as the boss of this location. Jadwiga was a bit bulky but very energetic and serious at the same time as her words are a bit sharp and concise.

"And you are certain that she is…?" asked Jadwiga.

"Affirmative," replied Aki, "I already told her but she doesn't seem to understand much yet."

 _Who am I to be princess anyway_ , thought Anya as she shook her head in disbelief from all of what she was told.

"Where's Alex?" asked Anya.

Jadwiga got up from her desk and rested her hands on Anya's shoulder and replied, "Alex is not your brother…at least not this Alex. Your true family was from a path of royalty."

"She needs to get back to the old world," said Aki, "She cannot stay here."

"It will not be an easy task," replied Jadwiga, "We do not have the technology for that…however…the scared tree…"

"I don't even know why I had to play being sister," sighed Aki, "I really cared for Haruka back in our days…but then Alex…"

"You saw what happened with their lives though...you should know better than put your jealousy," answered Jadwiga.

"I know that," replied Aki, "I still worry for Haruka."

"Kaarina, the blind prophet can read the stars in the skies…you've heard her words. They do not tell lies; they are absolute," said Jadwiga.

"I have intentions to return also," answered Aki, "However, once I am finished with my task, I might as well be put to rest for eternity. I have already lived my life on that land they made after 'The Last Legend' was fulfilled."

"I may not know much about this "Earth", but I do know this...it was a place of hell and heaven together as one," replied Jadwiga.

Aki was about to say something when they both felt the winds changing in the atmosphere.

"W-where's my brother!?" snapped Anya, "Please I beg of you!"

"The boy that you call your brother…he is not a human. Your real brother, Alexei, he suffered hemophilia," replied Jagwida.

Anya's response was a headache as she saw flashing scenes of people dancing, a family laughing happily and a girl swimming gracefully in the waters. She fell to her knees and felt like she was going to collapse.

"A-Anastasia!" gasped Aki as she rushed up to her.

"Sounds like she's having another episode," said Jadwiga as she walked over to the closet and took out a bathing suit.

"W-what's this!?" asked Anya.

 _T-that swimsuit_ , thought Anya, _why does it look like I've seen it before?_

"Do you by chance swim?" asked Jadwiga.

"I…I don't know," said Anya.

"Well put it on and at least try it," replied Jadwiga, "Aki, take her to the changing room."

Aki nodded and led the princess to a different room to change. As Anya dressed up to her outfit, she continued to see various scenes of the past.

She watched as a young girl swam on her back, reaching to the wall and flipping around, making her way back.

"Go sister!" shouted Alexei's echoing voice.

"W-who was that?" she asked to herself.

Once she was ready, she stepped out and Aki led her to a room that had a nice size pool in. Aki was also changed to her swimsuit. The ex-princess was too nervous at first but Jadwiga walked in as well to see the two.

"Do not be afraid," said Jadwiga, "Let the water be your guide."

Aki smiled a little and helped Anya into the water while Jadwiga turned to see a servant rushing in.

"Bad news!" said one of the servants, "A group of Acephliterans have been spotted in Lha'li!"

"I see," replied Jadwiga, "So they are taking their move now?"

"They very well be," said the other servant, "Our king will be in danger if he doesn't get his way back to us!"

"I have already sent some spies to get him," she answered, "I will speak to him."

"You don't think he'll try to kill you after what happened?" asked the servant.

"I don't think he would. Not with the life he already lived by with Georgia...I am sure he does remain a heart of kindness at the least," said the leader.

* * *

After several hours of walking, Makoto and Haruka arrived down to the city gates of Aeuropa City where they saw several policemen and security enforcers all around. Visitors were presenting IDs to them for verification before they entered through the gates.

"Perhaps we shouldn't be here," said Haruka, "Who knows what they'll do if they learn about us."

"But I am sure there is a way to get around this," replied Makoto, "But the land outside the gates to this city is too dangerous for us."

"I'm worried they'll view us as terrorists," answered the tsundere.

Before the taller boy could respond, he looked down at his clothes as it transformed into fancier suits with a tie and black pants and shoes. Haruka looked down and noticed that it transformed also.

"T-the clothes…" began Haruka.

"Apparently we found something interesting in the city that you both must find...use these uniforms and your badges to get in and we'll guide you through the rest," echoed Suiei Tachibana.

"Let's go then," nodded Haruka, holding Makoto's hand.

"Right," smiled Makoto.

The two passed through the gates and entered to the endless Aeuropa City. The city was vast and filled with various stylized towers, courtyards, plazas, tourist attractions, schools, businesses, and a lot more places. However, the gods guided them through vocally by leading them to a gigantic mansion towards the central area of the megacity.

"This is where Rei used to reside at before he left here to find you guys," echoed Suiei Nanase.

"R-Rei!" gasped Makoto.

"He lived here?" asked Haruka.

"Yes, however, we think there's something down hidden in the mansion that may be useful for the journey," replied Suiei Tachibana, "The Ryugazaki houses a mansion and a museum that they own that had artifacts of the world's history."

"I see," said Haruka.

"What is it that we are looking for?" asked Makoto.

"A vase…" replied Suiei Tachibana.

Makoto gasped as he suddenly recalled the one and only vase that he got back from Ancient Greece and later how he recovered it from the Iwatobi High School and used it a lot during their journey.

"The vase was yours if you remembered," said Suiei Tachibana, "You'll need to get it in order to regain more memories and your powers."

"Bu-but, how are we going to break in?" asked Makoto, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh Mako…" chuckled Haruka, "You are a pirate, you're too frightened for this?"

"That's different!" replied Makoto, "This is certainly a city filled with traps and secruities!"

"What about the sewers?" asked Haruka.

"NEEEEH?!" jumped Makoto as he hid behind Haruka, filled with fear, "I don't like dark places like that!"

"It may be one possibility," said Suiei Nanase, "The sewers here are a network that can get you to the mansion without getting caught."

"You'll be fine," agreed Suiei Tachibana, "Don't let go of each other and find the vase!"

* * *

Back in the wilderness, Alex woke up and grunted as usual. He grabbed his sword and saw Rei washing himself in the lake. The chiropteran almost blushed at the sight but growled to himself.

 _I have no time for distractions_ , thought Alex.

"Oi!" he shouted, "Are you going to waste more time?! Or are you going to keep bothering me?!"

Rei was startled and turned to see Alex already walking out, "O-of course I'm going with you!"

The megane rushed out of the water and quickly dressed himself while Alex continued to walk away, heading back to the forests.

"W-wait!" shouted Rei as he scrambled to his shirt and Alex stopped after hearing a soft click.

The Chiropteran readied his katana as Rei stopped and wondered what was happening.

"Someone is here…" muttered Alex.

He turned slowly and gasped as he saw Rei being struggled by some cloaked figured.

"H-help!" shouted Rei.

Alex rushed up to the cloaked figures and tried to slice them down but he got shot in the neck by a dart with some tranquilizer inside, causing him to fall. Rei felt an injection on his neck also and closed his eyes.

* * *

Alex woke up and found himself in an office-like room where Jadwiga stood before him. He was lying on the ground and felt a bit paralyzed at first.

"So you finally awaken, my king," said Jadwiga.

The boy growled and got on his feet, "Well, that was rude to get me here."

"I had no choice but to use force," she replied, "Otherwise our enemy would have tracked you down."

"What did you do with Rei?" he asked.

"Oh? You mean that blue-haired boy?" she answered and snapped her fingers.

Two guards walked in with Rei chained up and was still not awake from the tranquilizers.

"What did you DO to him!?" snapped Alex, "Why was he even brought to you guys?!"

"He woke up before you did and he kept screaming for you. We had to put him in a relaxed state again until you woke up," she answered, "Guards release him!"

They unchained Rei and the megane slumped down to the floor, feeling exhausted from what happened earlier. Jadwiga took out an energy herb and said, "Here. You'll need this. You are so brave to come to us since you've been looking for answers."

Alex's eyes widened a bit and he asked, "So you spoke to the witch?"

"Yes," she replied, "He contacted me after you two left the shop. So…I figured it was time to roll the dice again."

Rei swallowed the herb and was feeling back to normal a bit so he looked at Jadwiga and asked, "Why are here…and who are you?"

Jadwiga sat down on her desk and turned on her tablet, replying, "The Watcher's is an organization that was once originated from "Pandotess Lab". This scientific lab was once led by famous scientists...Pandora...and Tesseract."

Alex grunted as he recalled those two people earlier in his life but he kept it silent to himself.

"It was that organization that created the wildlife of our world..." continued Jadwiga, "Creating all kinds of harmless, domestic creatures for the most part but mother-nature required us to make some more dangerous ones for the sake of the environment."

Rei fixed his glasses in fascination as he was stunned by hearing all of this. He took out the badge, walked up to her and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Jadwiga took the badge from Rei and her eyes widened a bit, saying, "I-I've given this to Georgia 18 years ago…after the incident. She was given an important mission."

"And that would be…?" asked Rei.

The leader looked at Alex and said, "To subdue him...if once he woke up from his hibernation...should he resume his hostility, he was to be put down and brought here. But reports on his awakening...proved that he has changed and forgotten his past. So I granted her permission to keep him for a year while subordinate, Takeshi Kale...kept an eye on things around."

Rei was a bit shocked and he asked, "W-what would you have done to him if he didn't forget?!"

"I would've kept him here and prepared a "few things", but that's beside the point now," she answered, "You wanted to know what happened 18 years ago...that is your research. Because of that night, the war has been endless."

"Please tell me what happened," said Rei, "I…I need to know!"

"You must remember that this is confidential information," warned Jadwiga as she gave him a sharp look, "It has not been spoken by anyone since that night."

* * *

**Flashback: 18 Years Ago**

The Village of Herisia was at a state of relative peace. However, recent monsters have been lurking around the area and have fought a few of the villagers. Some were killed, others were injured. The people build some fences around the perimeter in hopes to keep the monsters away.

At "The Watcher's HQ", Takeshi and Jadwiga were in the matter of a serious discussion based on recent reports from the amount of deaths.

"B-but Alex is still asleep! It's only been 12 years!" gasped Takeshi, "The hibernation cycle…"

"Recent reports are discovering that a group of Chiropterans will make their way to the village of Herisia in the next several days...and worse of all...our enemy is near," replied Jadwiga.

"R-Rasputin," growled Takeshi as he narrowed his eyes.

"We cannot allow more casualties than it has already been," she replied.

"I see," nodded Takeshi, "We will fetch the body and bring him here. However, how are we going to wake him up…?"

Jadwiga took out a vial of Chiropteran blood, "This will. Our outpost will be set not far from the village and we'll give it via IV."

Takeshi nodded and rushed out, knowing that this was going to be a risky project but the amount of deaths in Herisia had to stop or else there would be nothing left for this world to come together and associate different cultures.

"Pandora…" growled Jadwiga, "You are always ruining others thanks to your powers of your 'husband'…"

* * *

**Days Later: Nightfall in Herisia**

"Is he going to be okay with this!?" asked the first nurse as she set up the IV pouch ready.

"We will have to keep his sword at the ready. If we give it to him, it's no doubt he'll mistaken us for Chiropterans!" replied the other nurse as he turned to see Takeshi.

"I will have his shirt at the ready," said Takeshi as he saw the boy's empty body wrapped in a blanket.

Jadwiga handed over the vial to the nurses and they put the shot through the skin and setting up the empty pouch and poured the vial of blood in for the processing. The leader stepped out of the tent as she was a bit too nervous to watch but held the Dragon Kopis Sword in her hands and waited.

Back inside, the blood entered inside of Alex's veins and arteries, flowing all over like a river flooding over an empty bed. It was all silent and still at first but his body trembled and began to shake violently. The two nurses pinned him down and were almost panicked by the strength he was unleashing.

"Hang onto him!" shouted the female nurse.

"But shouldn't we just…!?" began the male nurse when the boy stopped shaking and his eyes opened up with his irises glowing red. They quickly moved out of the way as the Chiropteran snapped the IV off and tore through the sheets.

Alex saw Takeshi holding out a shirt and the boy snatched it and dressed it on while his long hair was messy and a bit dirty. The boy sniffed the scent of Chiropterans nearby and he got out of the tent and saw Jadwiga holding out his sword.

He took the sword and began walking alone, concentrating on his mission. He had no idea what just happened but the smell of the monsters was angering him and they had to be put down.

Takeshi rushed out of the tent and joined Jadwiga as they saw several servants panicked by the sightings they saw.

"Bad news!" shouted the servant.

"What happened!?" asked Jadwiga.

"Armies from Neo Tabuk, Aeuropa City, Terra Magna, Iglis Magna and Lha'li are here!" said the servant.

Jadwiga and Takeshi gasped as they realized that this operation would complicate things as they saw Alex disappearing into the forest.

"How is it even possible they knew about us!?" gasped Takeshi, "Or the Chiropterans?!"

"It's simple...the village of Herisia is a cultural mix from Aeuropa City...Neo Tabuk...Lha'li...and it resides in the pathway of Terra and Iglis Magna," said Jadwiga.

"But what about Iwamara?" asked Takeshi.

"No one from there has been identified," said the servant.

"We can't waste time now, we must observe what will happen!" replied Jadwiga as she and Takeshi took off and followed their "Weapon of Duniya".

* * *

Alex arrived at a clearing and saw several Chiropterans taking siege of the village of Herisia. He could hear the cries of people screaming for their lives as explosions erupted in the battle field as he sensed power coming from different, foreign places.

He readied his katana and took off to battle; it was his battle to fight!

**~Episode 5 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 6 PV~**

**Jadwiga** : It is his duty to fight, and fight! We cannot lose hope!

 **Rasputin** : My dear brother…you finally came to play with me? Let me be your help so you can become stronger!

 **Alex** : …I don't need your help! I can…WHAT!? WHAT'S HAPPENING?!

 **Haruka** : Makoto! I don't want you to get hurt again with your hand!

 **Makoto** : Haru…I have to do this!

 **Nagisa** : Rin-chan! What's that abandoned village there?

 **Rin** : …it almost looks like…

 **Nagisa** : Next Time, Free! **_"Village of the Deceased; Herisia!"_** _Mako-chan would be scared of this place!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Part 2 of the Tragedy of Herisia, Alex must face off the Chiropterans but Rasputin triggers a plan that will change history! In the present, Makoto and Haruka discover a legendary item that Suiei Tachibana once used while Rin and Nagisa find themselves in an abandoned village with a shocking history! Tensions between Rei and Alex continue to rise to an out-bursting climax which may spell the end of their relationship! Meanwhile, the Pirates discover various monsters and a visitor on their path!

**_Episode 6:_ ** **_故人の村_ ** **_Village of the Deceased; Herisia!_ **

**Flashback Continues: 18 Years Ago, Tragedy of Herisia**

Moments before the Chiropterans took in the village, the villagers minded their own business and performed usual night duties to keep the people safe as well as having some camp fires to celebrate. However, after hearing low growls, it was too late to have fun as the Chiropterans jumped in and one of them tore off the head of an older man and blood exploded.

The gigantic-bat like monsters tore their way through the village as the people fled for their very lives. Alex arrives at the scene and begins slashing down the monsters one by one. He was actually shocked to see how messy it was getting as he saw several foreign armies trying to get the people out safely.

Alex continued to slash down the monsters as much as possible, hoping that at least the chaos would end; his eyes glowed blood red as he dodged the attacks from the monsters and put all of his effort in.

" ** _Look at you my boy…_** " echoed a voice.

Alex stopped as he readied his sword, the voice was familiar to him but he couldn't put a finger on it.

" ** _I can see how The Watcher's are trying to keep your existence away from your family...brother!_** " said Rasputin.

The older brother growled and chopped more of the beasts down as Rasputin continued, " ** _I can give you a deal; allow me to give you my strength...and you shall be able to protect everyone..._** "

He stopped and hesitated for a moment before the blood inside his body ran wild, falling to knees and screamed as he felt a sharp pain going through his head. He turned to see a random child staring at him in fear. Alex picked up the sword and slashed the human down.

 _W-what…did I do_ , thought Alex as he saw the slain boy before him.

" ** _Hehehehe...we are now one…_** " giggled Rasputin as Alex's body went wild, running over to a fleeing family and slashing them down as well as killing Chiropterans nearby.

" ** _I hate everyone but because you hate yourself…I love you…big brother_** ," hissed Rasputin.

Alex rushed over and sliced down the arm of an elder man and batted him down to the ground with his sword and turned to an elder woman and stabbed her through with her baby.

Jadwiga and Takeshi arrived at the outskirts of the scene and saw the humans slain on the ground and Chiropterans' remains from the attack. There, they saw Alex slicing everything down before them and were horrified.

"A-ALEX!" screamed Jadwiga.

"Something has disrupted the plan!" gasped Takeshi.

"This-this wasn't supposed to backfire!" replied Jadwiga.

"The other armies are here too," said Takeshi, "I hope they escape before it gets worse!"

Before Jadwiga could reply, Takeshi darted off into the village and she ran after. When they saw Alex, the boy turned to see them with his one eye glowing red and the other eye glowing green. Fires were erupting from the background as smoke and ash were in the air.

" ** _I see your caregivers are here_** ," echoed Rasputin " ** _Shall you kill them too? What do they mean to you? They've only used you to be their tool for this world. Don't you ever want to be free?_** "

Jadwiga gasped as she realized that the voice of Rasputin was nearby, but where?

"He…he's controlling Alex!" gasped Takeshi, "Since Rasputin is his twin…that would mean that…"

"Their blood is tied together," finished Jadwiga.

Armies from Neo Tabuk unleashed some of their magic against the Chiroptreans but it was not proven anything to defeat them while the people from Aeuropa City used their sophisticated weapons but it was proven short lived. Alex turned to see them and slashed several of the foreigners down.

" ** _You're becoming closer to me...brother...once I have you we shall rule this world with our kind!"_** laughed Rasputin.

Before Alex could reply, his body was beginning to shake as he felt dizzy. He turned to see two men nearby and sliced them down before he collapsed to the ground, falling unconscious.

Jadwiga and Takeshi rushed up to retrieve him while they saw several foreigners fleeing the area for their very lives while several of the remaining Chiropterans left the area since there was nothing more to feed upon (except for the people fleeing).

"We must flee before they find out about us!" said Jadwiga as she and Takeshi picked up the unconscious Alex.

That night was not forgotten by anyone...however, the two towns of Terra and Iglis Magna were blaming each other for the incident since The Watcher's have put a fake evidence that would hide Alex from the rest of the world. Even though it was only thought to be a temporally relief, these several sequences have led to a war between these two nations.

Neo Tabuk considered sending a handful of their armies out but due to a breakout of the Megascolides in the desert, they were limited on the amount of people they can send out. Aeuropa City chose not to fight but instead added massive walls around to make a stronger defensive area.

Iwamara, the peaceful town heard of the incident but decided to not to do anything about it. They feared that getting involved would affect their town in horrifying ways.

And as for Alex, was put back to the tomb in Iwamara but a resident there who worked for The Watchers, Georgia...was put on the task by the orders of Jadwiga to keep an eye out at the crypt and make sure that after he finishes his cycle, that he was to be subdued if he went to resume his hostile mode from the incident...

* * *

**Present Time:**

Jadwiga was lost in her mind after she explained the story to Rei. Alex stood there in silence and wondered how was Rei going to react to this…but there was one thing missing still.

"So Rasputin was responsible for all of this?" asked Rei.

"We have forgotten that one important thing about Alex while we prepared him…" said Jadwiga after she took a moment to get back in present, "Rasputin and Alex…are both…Chiropterans."

Rei gasped as he realized that all of the materials he discovered earlier were all true. Even though he knew something was wrong with the scene based on what he found out both the files and Alex, he didn't expect it to turn out like this.

"He…he's a Chiropteran!?" gasped Rei, "Bu-but how!?"

"Him and Rasputin are special ranks of Chiropterans," said Jagwida, "They were born of higher class. However, after we learned the horrible truth behind Pandora and Tesseract's true intentions...we escaped...and began our own rebellion organization. But that was long before the incident 18 years ago."

She took a breath and continued, "We escaped with Alex before he was going to be castrated by his mother. As for Rasputin, we couldn't get him back out of the test tube."

"W-why would she want to castrate him?!" asked Rei.

"He was supposed to born as a female…according to what Nygn told us. They live and breed on incest to continue the family line with a brother and sister," she answered.

Rei almost wanted to vomit at the answer but it was all making some sense at least.

"After we escaped, Pandora took the remaining materials and started to create monsters of all kinds...Chiropterans, Acephiterans, Megascolides...Oorn...and many others. For one purpose only…" said Jadwiga, looking at Alex, "To find you."

"Why?" asked Rei.

Alex answered, "It's obvious. She wants me dead."

"It's worse than that," replied Jadwiga, "She wants you…and you Rei…and the others dead; to prevent the Six Stars from reuniting together and ending her reign of terror."

"Th-the others!" gasped Rei, "They're in danger right now!"

"I have no intention of working with others," said Alex.

Jadwiga stared at Alex sharply as the Chiropteran continued, "I was always alone...though you and your crew kept your distance from me...in all of those years I fought before the incident."

The boy's eyes glowed red as he growled in anger, staring at Jadwiga, "You used me as a weapon for all of this time!"

"Alex do you really think I looked for you to use you!?" asked Rei sharply.

"It wouldn't be if you had to keep following me around like a stray dog!" he replied, turning his head to Rei, "I don't know who these other people are...but they are not my concern with. I'll defeat Rasputin alone."

Alex began to walk out of the room when Rei turned sharply as his feelings hurt by this and answered, _"NOW YOU JUST WAIT A MOMENT! Who do you think you are…some kind of king?! I followed you because I was worried something might happen to you and I would LOSE YOU!"_

Alex was about to step out of the room but stopped as Rei continued while breathing heavily in his anger, " _I tried to ignore ALL THE INSULTS YOU THROW AT ME because I hoped that you would get your memories back! Do you think that it was easy for me to see YOU IGNORING ME?!"_

The Chiropteran turned around violently and said, _"This is **NOT** your war Rei. Go home, and forget everything."_

Alex just took a few steps into the hallways when he saw Takeshi who said, "That's enough now."

Before he could reply, Takeshi stabbed his arm with a tranquilizer before knocking him out. Once Alex collapsed to the floor, the man took him to a different room.

* * *

Back inside, Rei felt like he was going to cry or even go insane at the moment. But thanks to that other night when they had sex, the Alex at that time told him that this was all part of the curse and such. However, it still all hurt Rei as he covered his face to spill some tears.

"I am deeply sorry to put you through this Rei," said Jadwiga, "But he doesn't remember his past life with you and the others as long as the Chiropteran blood dominates his body."

"I know that," replied Rei as he wiped his tears. He sat down on the couch to calm himself down. Jadwiga handed him some mints for him to relax.

"However," continued the leader, "There was a night…a long time ago…on a full moon. He cried out some names...including yours."

"M-my name?" asked Rei as he was a little bit shocked.

Jadwiga nodded, "He didn't want to fight or anything; he wanted those people to be with him. Then a cloud covered up the moon and he resumed his hunting duties as if nothing happened."

"I know that," said Rei, "Alex is the most human on those nights…but is there even a way to save him?"

The woman turned around for a moment before replying and said, "I…I think there is a way to save him. You and the other boys are the Suiei Gods…and he is one of them too. His Chiropteran powers are preventing him from returning to his "self" that you described."

"How!? What do we need to do?!" asked Rei, eager with hope.

"It's not guaranteed but you five should help him defeat Rasputin," she answered, "Maybe then as long as you are around him…he might begin to remember. But the blood in him will keep him from transforming back."

Jadwiga heard a knock on the door and turned around, "Come in."

Aki dragged Anastasia in as the princess remained silent. The other girl turned and saw Rei to her surprise as she said, "I see it's been a long time… _butterfly_."

Rei gasped as his mind was filled with visions of the past of this girl who knew Haruka and the others back when they were kids on Earth.

"A-Aki?!" gasped the megane.

* * *

Back in Aeuropa City, Makoto and Haruka rushed through the tunnels of the sewers, going through some disgusting muck before they arrive at some exit that led to the underground chambers of the mansion.

"Just how are we supposed to find the entrance form here?!" said Makoto, getting grossed out by the filth.

Haruka turned to see a larger chamber ahead with a set of stairs that had to lead to somewhere. Makoto sighed in relief as they emerged from the tunnels and rushed up the stairs, heading into some fancy hallway of some sorts. They walked in only a few steps when they suddenly saw laser beams being fired all around.

"Shit," growled Haruka as he and Makoto dodged them. They struggled their way through in hopes to not get caught when they saw a corner that seemed safe. Once they got to that area, Makoto sighed in relief.

"T-that was close," he said,

"You two are getting closer and closer...however you will need an escape path though when you reach the goal," echoed Suiei Tachibana.

"If something happens, we have prepared the waters of travel spell and it will send you two back outside to the forests," replied Suiei Nanase.

"We only got one shot for this," said Haruka.

"Oh Haru-chan," smiled Makoto as he hugged him.

"You need to stop saying –chan," sighed Haruka.

The taller boy chuckled before turning back to his serious mode as he saw several of the lasers rotating around and around. Haruka's eyes glowed neon blue in hopes to find a path to get through the mess.

 _The lasers here_ , thought Haruka, _they are somehow being triggered when there is heat in this room which is coming from us…_

"Waters of sealing, make a barrier on our skin," chanted Makoto as a thin layer of water covered him and Haruka, causing the heat radiation on their bodies to not be detected. To their surprise, the lasers were turned off.

"I-it's working," said Haruka as he got up and rushed to the door

The doors strangely opened before them which revealed a tunnel with axes and knives swinging across. Makoto sighed in annoyance and touched the wall with his hands, hoping to use the moister in this area to cool down and freeze up. Haruka joined in and the two managed to freeze up the trap and quickly dashed through the coldness and reached the other end.

The other doors opened and they walked into a white room as they saw a small vase inside a glass case. Makoto's memories grew as he remembered getting it back from the Iwatobi High School as part of their mission in the time loop. Makoto rushed up to the glass and rested his hand on it as his eyes glowed green.

"MAKOTO!" shouted Haruka as he tried to remove him from the glass.

"Haru," said Makoto, his eyes still glowing neon green, "I did this twice already…I will not lose a limb."

"M-makoto!" gasped Haruka as his eyes glowed neon blue, "Please…I don't want you to suffer again!"

The two concentrated on the glass as Makoto dug his hand through the cracks of the glass and increasing the pressure. To their surprise, the glass shattered as Makoto had several cuts on his fingers and hand while grabbing the vase.

At that moment, the alarms went off as Haruka's eyes widened. Once Makoto pulled the vase out, they tried to run but the doors were locked as the walls were beginning to crumble down.

"Waters of travel, get us out of this deadly mist!" chanted Haruka as swirls of water and a magic circle floated beneath their feet, teleporting them back outside to the forest.

Once they opened their eyes, they realized that they were on the other side of the mountainous region than where they stood earlier. They could hear the faint of alarms going on but it was time to move onwards.

"Well Haru," smiled Makoto as he looked at the vase.

"We are one step closer to our past," nodded Haruka.

"Yes that," agreed Makoto, "However…"

Before Haruka could ask, Makoto put the vase done and looked at his deep blue eyes. Haruka could almost feel what his partner (and for you, MakoHaru fans!) wanted and it was far overdue.

"Ma-makoto," whispered Haruka as the taller boy pinned him down, never looking away from those blue, ocean eyes.

"Since our days on Earth, I swore to my Suiei God that I would be with you while Nagisa planned out his next life to be with Rin," said Makoto.

Haruka's eyes widened a little as he suddenly recalled his days of being with Alex on Earth and how the events unfolded after that night.

"I love you, Haru-chan," continued Makoto.

The tsundere sighed and answered, "I…I love you, Ma-Makoto. You were always there for me back before we discovered our magic…although things changed since then, you would always visit us. And please drop the –chan."

Makoto chuckled as he moved his head down to Haruka's face, reaching at his lips for a kiss. The two locked together and their mouths explored each other vigorously while grinding each others' pants.

When they finally took a breath, Haruka could feel his tower growing through his pants. He blushed a little while Makoto smiled and began to open the zipper and pull down. The taller boy pull down his own pants and frottage their sticks together to add more tension. Haruka moaned with pleasure as Makoto licked on his neck and beginning to undo his top clothing.

Haruka looked into the deep emerald eyes of Makoto and wrapped his arms around the muscular lover before him, feeling his strong, intense back. The two kissed again as they could feel themselves drenched is warm saliva filled with the love between them.

After the kiss, Makoto went down to start licking at the tower as Haruka grunted and felt the intensity of passion increasing.

"Aaaah…aah-aaaa, Ma-Makoto," moaned Haruka.

Makoto shoved his mouth in and tasted Haruka while the other boy gripped his hands on the grass and arched his back. He knew that this was a no turning back but only the beginning of this new love.

 _I-I wonder what will happen to the others_ , thought Haruka as he moaned a bit more.

Makoto continued to deep taste him as he could feel the pressure building up in his mouth. Haruka moaned loudly as he felt the explosion reaching the climax. The two bodies were beginning to sweat up in the heat as the tsundere climaxed and unleashed a wave of whiteness inside.

Once he finished, Makoto took some in while kept some of the fluid of love and kissed Haruka again, tasting each other while enjoying the passionate wetness from Haruka. Meanwhile, the taller boy poked one finger at the entrance, surprising Haruka as he wiggled his way around. After a moment, a second finger joined and further opened the gates.

Haruka moaned in passion as he slightly smiled at Makoto, wondering what it would feel like for him to be inside. He felt Makoto poking his shaft to the entrance.

"H-Haru," whispered Makoto as he looked at Haruka's ocean blue eyes.

Haruka nodded and Makoto made his way inside, trying to go as deep as he can. They were both grunting and feeling each other as the intensity of this love increased further and further that it was almost painless through the thrusts.

"Ma-Mak-oto," gasped Haruka as he could feel himself tightening.

"Ha-Haru…" replied Makoto as he held both of Haruka's hands while shaking his way in.

The two looked into each other's eyes as they were lost in passion, enjoying their shared heat. Makoto could feel his climax reaching fast while he rubbed his hands on Haruka's chest and sucking on his neck for a hickey. He swayed faster and faster as the heat continued to rise up.

"Aahh…aaaaah!" they both grunted as they struck finally, unleashing a wave of love radiating both of their bodies to each other as a river of white flowed inside of Haruka's tunnel. Makoto collapsed on top of Haruka as their chests rubbed each other. Both of them chuckled happily as they shared another kiss.

"T-thank you," breathed Haruka, "Makoto…"

Makoto smiled and replied, "I will always be by your side…together with the others that are waiting for us."

Haruka kissed Makoto on the cheek and answered, "I know. We can only hope for the best."

Makoto withdrew himself as they both separated and got dressed again even though they were both exhausted. However, there was not much time to stay around so they used their strength to continue their journey, holding hands along the way while their necklaces glowed in faint colors of green and blue.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rin and Nagisa have run for what it seems for days. They were traveling through the Las Jangwa desert and encountered a few monsters but with help on their limited powers, they were able to defeat them. They did stop occasionally to find something to eat or whatever while the gods provided them some guidance to leave the desert region of Neo Rodinia Magna.

At least 2 days they spent traveling through the desert but they managed to get to a grassland area with a lake before them.

"Such a relief we made it!" smirked Rin as he wipes his head from the sweat.

"Let's go swimming!" said Nagisa.

"Hell yes!" he agreed as the two stripped off their garments and jumped into the lake, going for a nice skinny-dip.

Rin splashed his way around while Nagisa giggled and plunged down underwater for a moment. He followed too to submerge his head when he suddenly saw the bloody massacre again with the same boy and the sword. Rin struggled his way to the surface and breathed heavily while coughing the water out.

"R-Rin!" gasped Nagisa as he swam up to him, worried, "W-what happened just now?"

Rin was about to answer when they heard strange clanging noises of something hollow nearby. The red-hair didn't want to find out what it was.

"Get down!" he said as they submerged in the water again.

On the land, a group of Undead Skeletons were walking their way around the lake, heading for a certain destination after a day's worth of outing. Rin took a small peak to the surface and gasped in his mind while hushing Nagisa on his lips. At this time, the skeletons sang a dark hymn of bloodshed and war as they passed by the water.

After a minute or two, the skeletons left and the two boys took a breath of relief at the surface which haunted Rin from a nightmare he had back on earth about his late father. Nagisa hugged him to calm down as the red-hair explained, "My father…I remembered his death; he was out at a stormy night and drowned with his fishermen crew."

The blonde hugged him and said, "I'm so sorry Rin. But I wonder what those beings were doing though…where are they heading to?"

"I'm not sure," replied Rin, "But they look suspicious. Let's follow them; perhaps your power of seeing the dead may help."

Nagisa nodded as the two got dressed again and made their way to follow the strange parade, keeping enough distance to not get noticed.

"H-how is this even possible?" asked Rin, "Are they enchanted!?"

"Maybe they're going to the place they died?" shrugged Nagisa.

They saw the Skeletons taking entrance to the abandoned and semi-destroyed village ahead. Rin's eyes blinked twice in confusion of how they appeared one moment but disappeared after passing through the gate.

"Let's go!" said Rin, "We can't waste too much time but a quick investigation may be helpful!"

The two arrived at the abandoned village and saw the sign that said "Herisia". Nagisa brushed his hand over the sign name when he saw the vision of the boy running with the sword covering in blood with the background in flames and monsters.

"R-Rin!" gasped Nagisa, feeling frightened by the visions. Rin hugged around him as Nagisa saw what looked like the same boy from their vision from the pool but saw three strange-looking beings in the far distance.

 _Wh-who is that_ , thought Nagisa as he saw the smaller of the three people turning its head to him with a sinister smile, frightening the blonde for a moment.

The stranger's eyes glowed green and was starting to laugh sadistically when the vision finally stopped after Rin shook Nagisa away from the visions.

"A-Alex…" said Nagisa sadly, "It-it's him! It has to be him…he was here when the tragedy happened! He wasn't acting the same one we knew back on Earth."

The two continued their way into the village when they saw several skeletons surrounding them. They were all moaning in various tones, keeping the two trapped.

"W-what do you want!?" asked Nagisa.

"W-why have you come here?" asked a male voice.

"W-who are you…?" asked a female voice.

"Travelers…we'll be leaving here," said Rin as he held Nagisa's hand.

The third skeleton laughed and replied, "Oh how long has it been since we needed a miracle here...too bad it wouldn't have worked 18 years ago."

"This village was cursed after the fallen tragedy..." said the male skeleton, "A man in blade...blood of the Chiropteran in his name."

"C-chiroptrean!?" asked Rin.

"Alex can't really be a Chiropteran, can he?" replied Nagisa, worried.

The skeletons walked closer to them as Rin shouted, "Keep away!"

"What do you want from us!?" asked Nagisa.

"This is the village of Herisia...the village that we lost everything. Monsters appeared here on that left a curse behind...a curse that we are suffering. All we want is to rest in peace," said the female skeleton.

"But that's to that monster we were unable to…" said a forth skeleton.

"Maybe I can do something," replied Nagisa, "Please…what do we need to do."

A pause of silence occurred before the male skeleton answered, "Kill him. Kill the bastard, and we shall be released from our curse."

"W-what?!" gasped Rin, realizing that they would have to kill Alex (though they were not sure if he is a Chiropteran or not but their suspicion has increased).

"W-we can't!" said Nagisa, "H-he's our friend! Please, there has to be another way to…!"

The Skeletons grew closer to them as they moaned in anger. Rin had enough so he chanted, "Waters of the blade, grant us a path out of here!"

He unleashed a wave of water and sliced them in half, grabbing Nagisa's hand and said, "This way!"

The two raced across the village while the skeletons took forth and chased after them.

"W-we have to get out of this village!" shouted Nagisa.

"There has to be an exit somewhere!" said Rin as he turned his head to see an army of them making their way.

"This way!" answered Nagisa as they turned right and rushed through but saw more skeletons heading towards them.

"Shit!" snapped Rin as his eyes glowed red.

Nagisa's eyes glowed hot pink and chanted, "Waters of travel…ease a way out for us!"

The two felt a wave of water swirling around them as they could feel themselves teleporting from the village and out toe the forest nearby. Once the two opened their eyes they turned to see the village before them.

"I can't believe they want us to kill Alex…but was it really him that he killed them?" asked Rin.

"I don't know... I saw somebody looking like him in my vision but I don't know..." said Nagisa.

"Let's go then," sighed the red-hair as they continued on from there.

* * *

**The Watcher's HQ**

Rei's eyes widened as he saw Aki standing before him along with a strange-looking girl with dark red/brunette girl with blue eyes like Haru's.

"You don't remember much of your past still," said Aki.

"I know that, but I feel like we have met before," replied Rei.

"I remember a lot of things," she answered, "But this is no time to talk about the past."

"So you got her back…right…Anastasia?" asked Jadwiga.

Anastasia kept silent as she turned her head to the side. Rei turned to the princess and wondered on the familiarity of this person. He seemed to have recalled Nagisa having a dream about this and Russia. Shaking his head, he took out the family photo and showed it to them.

"Here," said Rei, "It looks like you and Alex were all happy."

Anastasia took the photo from Rei and smiled slightly but was still shaken by the dreams and visions she had earlier while swimming.

"I want to see him," said Anastasia.

"The Alex that you were with cannot be with you," replied Jadwiga.

"Where is he?" asked the princess, getting firm on her words.

"This isn't the time right now your majesty," said Aki, "You have to get back to Russia…but that will require a trans-dimensional traveling and we don't have the full capability yet."

"I remember Nagisa telling me something about some Russian family who asked him in his dream to find somebody..." muttered Rei when Aki looked at him sharply.

"Where is Alex?" asked Anastasia.

Jadwiga sighed for a moment and answered, "He's been put to rest now…Takeshi locked him in a cage."

"W-what?!" gasped Rei, "Why!?"

"You saw how hostile he was to you…but it's only a temporally thing," explained the leader.

"I'm going to find him!" said Anastasia as she dashed off to the hallways.

"O-oi!" replied Aki, chasing after the princess, "Anastasia!"

"H-hey wait!" shouted Rei, rushing out while almost tumbling over, "I'm going too!"

* * *

Alex woke up and found himself in a cage and has some IVs connected to him while Takeshi sat on a chair with some computing programming on and checking for vital signs and other things.

They both heard footsteps nearby as Anastasia, Aki, and Rei stood by the doorway.

"O-onii-chan!" gasped Anastasia as she rushed up to the bars.

Aki remained silent while Rei joined with the princess and said, "A-Alex! Are you okay!?"

"A-anya…A-Aki…" he answered as he was a bit shocked to see them okay, "R-Rei..."

"We're here now! Can you remember me!?" asked Anastasia.

The other boy grunted and turned his head to the side while Aki still not said a word.

"How do you feel?" asked Rei.

Alex was about to say something when he suddenly felt the blood boiling in his veins, forcing him to scream/yelp in pain as Takeshi checked the heart rate levels and set up a drug into the IV.

"Rasputin is trying to control his body again," said Takeshi as he read the levels. Alex fell into a slumber as the pain and intensity knocked him out.

"I-is he going to be alright? What will happen to him?" asked Rei.

"His levels are going back to normal at least...but he's going to need some more medication that will increase the mental barrier from any telepathic invasion," explained Takeshi.

"W-why…why is he in a cage?" asked Anastasia.

Takeshi lowered his head and answered, "He…he was born from a family of Chiropterans over 100 years ago. He was temporally raised by his family until his mother lost sanity and vowed to kill him because he was not a female.

"The family is tradition for incest...of a boy and a girl...to continue the powers of the Chiropterans but the generation of Rasputin and Alex has messed up the blood line...causing the Chiropterans to go unstable," he explained.

"W-what happened after that?" asked Rei.

"We defected our leaders and took Alex with us, starting our own rebellion known as 'The Watchers'. Our main objective is to kill Rasputin…and Pandora," said Takeshi.

"How are you going to get him to meet the goals?" asked the megane.

"Rei, you have to take Alex with you…to find the others," he replied, "Aki, you and Anastasia must stay here until we proceed with further instructions."

"Do you know where we should start looking for them?" asked Rei.

"…It is said that the Six Stars will reunite at **_the place of their beginnings…a place of memories_** ," replied Takeshi.

"I'll stay with him," said Rei, "I want to stay close."

"Let's go Anastasia," said Aki as she led her out of the room while the princess looked at Rei and Alex.

"Please take care of him for me," answered Anastasia to the megane as she left.

* * *

**Castle Chirottori**

"Why didn't you ATTACK THEM!?" growled Pandora, "You saw him that he was with that boy!"

"The one who he was with had a sense of powers…besides I only would play with him if he was alone…it's more fun that way," replied Rasputin.

"That other boy was one of the stars you idiot!" she hissed, "But…since you only woke up recently too, you obviously need to regain more of your memories when you and him were only children…"

"My apologize on the failure," he said.

"Oh never mind," she sighed as she walked over to a gigantic mural picture of the family. She put her nail on Alex and scratched a line down the middle.

"I was so close to killing him..." she explained, "I was going to castrate him and turn him to slime...and see if your father could use his 4th Dimension to turn Alex to a girl...but our organization has collapsed and took Alex with them!"

"And that's what they are…The Watcher's?" asked Rasputin.

"Indeed," said Pandora, "Those fools think they can rebel against me. They may have some of our equipment but they don't have the power of the 4th Dimension."

She stabbed the family mural with a spear and hissed, "Kill him…"

Then she muttered to herself, "I think it's time we make a visit to my fellow puppets that failed to comply with me."

Pandora made a sinister laugh as her chuckling could be heard from all over the area. She has yet to hear the report of Lha'li once Tesseract returns and hoped that he recovered the Compendium.

* * *

Back at the HQ, Rei watched Alex sleeping in the cage while Takeshi left the room for other duties. He could only wonder if Alex was going to be okay after all of this.

 _I have to concentrate on what I know now... Alex is Chiropteran because of his family he was born in... His mother and brother are trying to kill him_ , he thought, _the worst thing is that his brother has some limited control of him._

He wondered about Aki and Anya and continued his mind, _His foster siblings: Aki and Anastasia... I know Aki from our past life and Anastasia's history is connected to Russia. Now to defeat Pandora and Rasputin we need to find the others before those monsters find them. But where is the place that everything started?_

Alex finally woke up as he felt a bit dizzy but was still feeling angry and outrage from earlier after he saw Rei sitting down at first before walking up to the bars.

"How do you feel?" asked Rei.

The Chiropteran could only tremble as he could almost feel tears coming down but he held it back and said, "W-why…is it always me?"

Rei wanted to hug him but he realized that the cage was still locked and there was no way to hack it without his cellphone.

"I don't know you," said Alex, "I really have no clue who you are and why you kept following me. I got hostile to you is _because I don't trust myself when I deal with humans_ …so I'm going to ask you one last time."

"Y-yes?" asked Rei.

"Are you willing to face danger and death that awaits you?" asked the Chiropteran.

"I am," replied the megane as he removed his glasses and his eyes glowed neon purple for a moment, "I will do whatever it takes for me to stay with you…and hopefully we can love."

"There are more battles to come. I must face Rasputin alone...for he is my sin...I don't know what Jagwida said about four other people besides you," he answered, "But they need to stay out of the way…and you too...Rasputin will do anything to claw anyone down to reach me."

"You don't need to be alone!" said Rei, "We will help you fight him! I swear! Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai, Rin-senapi, Nagisa-kun and I…we'll stop him with you!"

"I have nothing more to say," said Alex as he sat back down, leaning on the bars.

"Well I do," replied Rei, "I told you earlier that when we first met in Japan, I suspected you were a spy. We had a few rough times in the beginning but we began to trust each other. You were always cheerful to all of us even when I was down and sad. I want that part of you to come back! I will GO with you!"

"I have nothing to remember," answered the Chiropteran, "Except for my mission…and my sin."

"When we went to Italy to defeat your high school rivals that stole your true brother away, we made a promise that in our next life we would be together no matter what!" said Rei, "And now you are pushing me away after I found you in Iwamara. I understand why you're like this but you don't understand that there is no way that I will let you ever leave without me! Or the others!"

Alex remained silent as Rei continued, "As soon as I started to remember our past life, I looked for you. And now that I did, I can't let you go away!"

"Even after you learned the truth...that I am a Chiropteran? And that I killed people with my own bare hands?" asked Alex.

"Even after that I still won't let you go. You are very important to me and I don't want to lose you!" cried Rei.

 _W-who is this guy_ , thought Alex as he felt a wave of headaches going on his mind, _d-does he…?_

"Go on," said Alex, "This story is quite entertaining…"

"During that final battle in Italy, we almost lost you…in fact you died for us. I tried to save you so we could all be together but the wound from your enemy took your life and we felt like we lost everything! Our team was incomplete…but a miracle happened and you and your true brother created a new home for us! I don't want to feel that pain again!" said Rei, trying to hold back his tears.

"I…I am moving forward to my destiny," replied Alex, "If Rasputin is not stopped, he'll pull a greater disaster!"

"But to stop him, we need to find the others!" answered the megane.

"How are you going to be able to fight?" asked Alex, "You don't have a weapon of your own."

Rei took out his Suiei Necklace and showed it to Alex as the megane remembered this scene when the boy came to Japan and he showed the necklace as well.

"My magic is limited, but when we find the others, we'll have more abilities to fight," said Rei.

 _T-that_ , thought Alex, _w-why does it look so familiar?_

"I see…" said the Chiropteran.

Takeshi walked back in and told the two, "Jadwiga says you must get moving. There's another lead of them on the rise."

He unlocked the cage as Alex went to retrieve his sword and said, "I wish to rest here."

"Then both of you must leave no later than sunrise tomorrow morning," replied Takeshi, "The others are somewhat detected on our radar systems, but they have not much of a destination in mind."

"I see," said Rei.

"There are rooms for the both of you, please follow me," answered Takeshi as he led the two boys out of the cage room.

 _W-what will I do if my daughter knew all of this_ , thought Takeshi.

* * *

After a few more weeks on the ocean, the two Pirate Clans finally arrived at the Eastern Region of the continent. It was a long journey ahead still but they were all filled with curiosity of the forgotten land that they were once from.

They agreed to attend to Iglis Magna first since the place was said to be filled with ancient technology which may be useful for an upcoming battle and event that may help Makoto and Haruka fulfill their "mission".

However, one person was still lost in memory...for she wondered what happened to her father.

"So we still got a long way to go but thank the heavens we are back on land!" said Anne.

Mastuura turned to a group of the Nanase Pirates and ordered, "I want you guys to check and make sure here is enough food and water. We have to make sure if we need to stock up anything or not before we move inland!"

Meanwhile, Awlida was talking to Shirahama, "Do you think that if we hadn't fought in all those years we would have been friends with them? They are all nice and now I regret killing some of their crew..."

"I don't know," he replied, "I hate to dwell on the past like that…the future is more important now. And you should try to look at it my way. Yes we killed some of their people but they did the same. But now we stopped fighting and we managed to get back to land finally."

"Yeah, you're right," she smiled and gave him a hug.

"You're my little sister no matter what…related by blood or not, that was our promise we made with Haru," said Shirahama.

Matsuura got the report on the supplies and turned to Anne, "The food and water should last for 2 weeks. That's plenty of time for us to get to Iglis Magna."

"Alighty," nodded Anne, "Oi! Shira! Awlida! What do you guys think?"

"About what?" the other two asked as they joined up with them.

"Well we have to get to the Felix River which should lead us to the Amara Waterfalls," said Anne, "From there we can follow the Tren River that will get us to Iglis Magna."

"Oh I love waterfalls!" smiled Awlida, "Haru-chan loves them too!"

"H-haru? Oh, you mean Captain Nanase?" asked Matsuura.

"Yes! We're friends of course but I don't think we'll ever see each other again," she replied, feeling a bit sad.

"Oh I am sure you will and I know we'll get to see Makoto again too!" said Matsuura.

"Oi! Awlida!" replied Shirahama when he turned to see her sad, "Did this guy make you sad? You want me to beat him up?"

Before Matsuura could reply, Shirahama playfully grabbed him and headlock his head to rub across his hair. Awlida laughed while Matsuura struggled and blushed.

"Le-let me go!" he cried out, "Awlida, stop laughing!"

"That should teach you not to make her cry!" smirked Shirahama as he released him.

"Shira, he didn't make me cry!" blushed Awlida, "He was only trying to…"

"Oh my bad!" said Shirahama as he had a sweatdrop of nervousness.

"I'll get back at that," smirked Matsuura with his own smirk as Shira walked away.

Shirahama got back to the map with Anne as they began to pinpoint the location, "Oh gosh, did you see his face?"

"I don't remember the last time someone made me laugh so much," giggled Anne.

"So when do you think we'll get to the village?" asked Shirahama.

"I would hope about 7 – 8 days," she replied, "If we don't get into conflicts."

"It is a wishful thinking but I really do hope we can get some peace for now," agreed Shirahama.

"Do you think we'll see them again?" asked Anne.

"Makoto…and Haruka?" replied Shirahama.

"Yeah," said Anne, "They were such great guys."

"I know," answered Shirahama, "But we have to wish them the best of the journey."

* * *

After a few days of settling in and camping together, they began to start on the move again. Awlida felt a bit worried as she remembered her encounter with the Byatis Frogs back on the Island of Ackins.

"S-Shira," said Awlida, "I'm nervous about fighting the monsters again. I nearly lost my life if it wasn't for you or Haru-chan."

"It'll be alright," replied Shirahama, "You got us and now we have a combined team here."

"Awlida," answered Anne, "I know we haven't talked much. But I promise you, as long as we are all together to fight, we will not lose."

"You know that we'll protect you!" smiled Matsuura.

"T-thank you!" she smiled as she grouped hugged them. Anne blushed a bit but she smiled and knew that it was going to be alright for the journey.

The four began their journey and led the combined clans through the forest that awaited them; it was going to be another journey by foot but they knew that Iglis Magna awaits for them. As soon as Shirahama and Anne weren't watching, Matsuura held Awlida's hand which caused her to blush at first for a moment.

"I just don't want you to get scared," he whispered.

"T-thank you," she whispered back.

* * *

The path was twisted and challenging as they encountered several slopes, hilly regions, a few swamps and some small patches of the desert from the Las Jangwa region. There were hardly any monsters around ever since their days at the sea which was relieving but at the same time, filled of suspicion.

"We should be at the Felix River soon," said Anne as she checked on her map.

"My legs," sighed Matsuura, "They're gonna fall off."

"Ugh, drama queen," muttered Anne.

They arrived at a clearing on a gentle slope. Towards the bottom was the Felix river which made them all smile in relief; they were finally beginning to make progress across the mega continent. Before anyone could cheer at the sight, they all heard a soft, whistling sound.

"W-what was that!?" asked Shirhama.

"That didn't sound pretty," replied Anne, "Be on your guards!"

Before their eyes, they saw a swirl of shadow in the skies that was heading towards them. They readied their swords but the swirl broke into several pieces as Chiropterans roared and screeched.

"We fight now!" shouted Matsuura when the ground suddenly shook.

"W-what's going on!?" shouted Awlida.

The ground in front of them exploded with dirt and dust as a group of Megascolides erupted from the ground with their gigantic mouths filled with hunger. Shirahama slashed down an oncoming Chiroptrean while Awlida and Anne took down a Megascolides. The pirates fought off as much of the monsters as possible as more of them were replacing the defeated ones.

"LOOK OUT!" shouted Shirahama as he jumped to slice down a Chiropteran.

"YOU WATCH OUT!" screamed Anne as she sliced down another Chiropteran.

Awlida turned to see Matsuura struggling between two Megascolides; the boy ducked the two of them but the gigantic worms ended up tying a knot which prompted Awlida to slice the knot down and killing them in the process.

"Nice job!" said Matsuura, "We better get…"

A dark, thundering evil voice rumbled across the area as they all stopped to hear it. The monsters were frozen in place as well as a signal from their master.

"Whoever is laughing now is going to die!" growled Matsuura.

"Foolish ones…" hissed a voice, "Pirates of Rivals…how amusing that you joined forces!"

The pirates were resuming their battle but the time and space on the monsters were frozen to the point that their weapons were useless.

"W-what the hell is happening!?" asked Anne.

Before their eyes, a shadow swirl struck on the land as a cloaked figure emerged from the cloud while hiding his face from the pirates, smiling before them. Awlida hid behind Matsuura while Anne held hands with Shirahama in shock.

"W-who the hell are you!?" growled Shirahama.

"I…can be your salvation from these beasts," replied the figure, "All you have to do is join me…and my mother."

**~Episode 6 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 7 PV~**

**Anne** : Who the hell is this man here!?

 **Rasputin** : I am your salvation…hear me out and you shall be rewarded!

 **Shirahama** : We do not take orders from strangers like you!

 **Alex** : R-Rei…you really are persistent to join me.

 **Rei** : I am going to fulfill my promise…to that special person before me!

 **Makoto** : H-Haru…I hope we can find the others soon!

 **Haruka** : …me too Makoto, I remember how Rin taught me what it really takes to enjoy your teammates

 **Nagisa** : Rin-Rin! What is that temple before us!?

 **Rin** : I don't know…but it looks familiar…

 **Awlida** : Next time, Free! **_"The Path to Freedom!"_** We will not lose this battle…we got a home to recover!

_**~See You Next Water Time! (Wednesday April 23, 2014)** _


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprising characters are finally revealed as Aki Yazaki meets an old friend of Rin’s back in Elementary School and the two begin to plan out the next mission. Chaos is in the air as Rasputin and the Chiropterans set up attacks against the Pirates and “The Watcher’s”. Meanwhile, Alex struggles against his memories and the Six Stars are nowhere near together as of yet! Will they finally reunite?

**_Episode 7:_ ** **_ザフリーダムへのパス_ ** **_！_ ** **_The Path to Freedom!_ **

Rasputin stared at the Pirates before him as he was already amused on what was happening. His eyes were filled with vengeance and yet opportunistic. All he needed was to get them to join him so he could use them to kill his brother.

"You all have such potential," said Rasputin, "Join me…and together I can help you fulfill your wish!"

Anne stared at the cloak figured before him and answered, "We will not. We don't even know you!"

"Your words are filled with misleading," growled Shirahama, "We only serve those who we know and love!"

"Heh, love," muttered Rasputin before clearing this throat, "Stubborn as you guys are…pathetic."

Before the pirates could make an attempt to attack, the Chiropteran turned to his pets and vanished with his voice echoing, "Continue…"

"I knew it!" growled Anne as she slashed down a monstrous Chiropteran, "He's a threat!"

Awlida turned and barely dodged an attack from a Megascolide before she jumped up to slice its head off.

"Anne!" shouted Shirahama as he sliced down a Chiropteran, "Do you know a place we can hide!?"

"Let's keep fighting!" said Anne, looking determined, "I'm not ready to give up."

"FOR MAKOTO!" shouted the Tachibana Clan.

"FOR HAURKA!" shouted the Nanase Clan.

"TOGETHER!" they all cried out as the joined forces readied themselves to fight as one team. More monsters appeared but it was all for the sake for their beloved leaders that will hope to save this world and their clans.

After an hour more of battles, there were a few deaths but not much major casualties on their end. The grasses were littered with blood and guts from the monsters but it was at least a sign of relief and victory. Awlida sat down with Matsuura, Shirahama and Anne as they looked at the sunset.

"The fight was hard, but this is only the beginning," said Shirahama.

"Me too," agreed Matsuura, "We still are not even close to home…maybe half way if we are lucky."

"We have to promise each other and Haruka and Makoto that we will get there safely and begin our new lives," nodded Anne.

"I'll do my very best!" said Awlida.

"We will!" they all chanted, "For the team!"

* * *

After a night of rest, Rei and Alex were waken up early by Takeshi as he and Jadwiga prepared their supplies for the journey; a map, bag, some emergency supplies as well as a fresh new set of clothes.

"S-such a strange dream," muttered Alex.

"Oh?" asked Rei, "What was it about?"

"Someone…looked like me…like an older version of myself…he handed me something," he replied while he turned to the side.

"W-who?" asked the megane.

"I-uh, never mind," he sighed.

Jadwiga walked into the room and said, "The time has come."

"It will be a journey for you both...but you will find your way through..." agreed Takeshi, "Oh wait a sec."

The two shrugged in confusion while Takeshi revealed a set of orbs, stating, "Use these when it's an emergency."

Rei took the orbs and felt like he had seen them before as Alex somehow recognized them also but kept his thoughts to himself.

"I'll lead you guys out," said Takeshi.

Once they were lead out, the two began their journey. Rei thanked Takeshi while Alex wasted no time to leave and walked out to the grassy fields.

"T-tell me one last thing," said Alex as he felt Rei not far by his side.

Rei was a bit shocked and asked, "Y-yes?"

"What was this person's name… _the one who you loved?_ " asked Alex.

 _Should I tell him? It can change everything...Alright I will, he deserves to know_ , thought Rei.

Rei cleared his throat and said, "His name was Alex."

The Chiropteran's eyes widened as his body was shaking; he fell to his knees and felt a mental break though in his mind; for a moment he saw two people talking beneath a tree and one of them hugged the other with tears on his face.

Rei rushed over to get Alex back up but stopped for a moment.

"W-who?" muttered Alex as he tried to see but he heard the evil laughter of Rapsutin.

 ** _"muahahahhaa….HAHAHHAAH!_** " laughed Rasputin, " ** _I see you're trying to remember…brother!_** "

Alex growled as he got up on his feet while stabbing the katana to the ground to stand up. He pulled the katana out and ran with fierce anger.

"A-Alex!?" gasped Rei as he rushed after.

" ** _Go ahead, try to find me…but…we're brothers, aren't we?_** " asked Rasputin's voice.

Rei tried to keep up with Alex as the Chiropteran's eyes were glowing with Red anger. A monster Chiropteran appeared and Alex slashed it in half with his brute strength. The megane turned to see a strange looking monster with no head and chanted, "Waters of the ice, slice down this prey!"

The Acephlipteran was slashed down by a knife of cold, sharp water and collapsed to the ground. They both heard loud, roaring screeching noises as the skies were filled with a flock of Chiropterans and Acephlipterans flying over to The Watchers.

"I…I have to save them!" growled Alex as he turned back to HQ but Rei grabbed his hand.

"Let me go!" he snarled.

"We don't have enough power to fight them! We have to keep going! We have to find the others! Alex, please! Let's go!" said Rei.

"W-why?" he asked as he blushed a little by the touch of hands.

"If we find them we will be able to find the answers about our past and maybe even find a way to get you back to your human self! We have to go now!" answered Rei.

Alex pulled his hand away and said, "Y-you don't have to do that though!"

"B-but I want to," blushed Rei.

The Chiropteran turned to him and sighed, before extending his hand out, allowing the megane to reach out to Rei.

"So let's go, okay?" he asked.

Alex nodded and the two made their way a bit north but the journey was long. According to where they were at, they were in the southern areas of the massive continent.

"It'll take us weeks to get back to the northern areas… not to mention the Las Jangwa desert will be dangerous of its own..." sighed the hunter.

"Well maybe we should check these out?" asked Rei as he took out the orbs.

The orbs began to flicker bright colors before floating into the air in front of them, blinding the two for a moment as a ball of light shined above them like a mini-sun in the skies.

"T-this light…" muttered Alex.

"I've seen it before," said Rei.

"Well, aren't we going to follow it?" asked the hunter.

Rei nodded and said, "Yes…let's go."

The two continued to held hands as Alex blushed in confusion and embarrassment; he never felt a hand such soft yet strong feeling. He couldn't understand why this man before him wanted to be close.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rin and Nagisa were walking through a series of hills, heading to some sort of a mountainous range before them.

"I feel like the mountains are nearby," said Rin.

"Me too," replied the blonde, "Where are we now?"

Rin was about to answer when he saw a strange light in the skies, "H-huh?"

"Ooooh, that looks pretty!" smiled Nagisa, dragging Rin as they started to run, "Let's follow it!"

"O-oi!" gasped Rin as he felt being dragged before getting back on his feet.

The two followed the strange light despite the amount of hills and the inclines that they encountered.

"You know, is it just me or does that light seem familiar?" asked Rin.

"Hmmm, you know, when I think about it, yes," smiled Nagisa.

The star shimmered brightly as Rin summoned the book from the gods, opening the pages with Nagisa. They sat down to take a closer analysis of the scenes. The two saw an animated picture of them along with the others running through the countryside with the same star they are seeing now.

"A journey through the Italian countryside..." read Rin, "A quest to rescue Sergi-chan...and stop the Shadow Mafia..."

"S-sergi?" asked Rin as he paused that name for a moment.

"He sounded like an important person," shrugged Nagisa, "Maybe a relative of someone's?"

"And Shadow Mafia," read Rin, "Sounds like they were to be stopped."

"Ugh I hate that term," growled Nagisa, "It sounded nasty when I think about it."

Rin turned the page and gasped as he saw a horrific scene, "N-Nagisa!"

The blonde took a peak and gasped as they saw a picture of what looked like Alex and a boss-looking character stabbing each other.

"A reward for you, the victor," read Rin, "And me…I'll receive the punishment as the loser."

The picture was animated with the scene as Taylor looked at his classmate and smiled before going down for a kiss but fell to the ground as the lips barely touched. The Leader of the Shadow Mafia dissolved away as Alex stood there and almost fell while Haruka caught him

"T-this…" began Rin, almost wanting to cry as he saw Rei trying to heal Alex but the boy died in their hands.

"But…he survived though!" said Nagisa, almost feeling tears also, "I remembered this! We fought these beings and then we…"

Rin turned the page again and saw a map of a gigantic continent, "Lynwin…what kind of a map is this?!"

Nagisa turned the pages again and saw that it was all blank afterwards; something was missing…

"The memories of your past are flickering on and off...only can the six of you together will rebuild the pages," explained Suiei Matsuoka.

"When you will reunite you will get your memories back...follow the star; for it shall lead you to the others," said Suiei Hazuki.

The book vanished from their hands as Rin turned to Nagisa. The blonde got up and grabbed Rin's hand, "Come on! We have to keep moving!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Makoto held Haruka in a bridal style as the latter was sleeping. The taller boy couldn't help but chuckle to himself to the way how Haruka was sleeping so soundly.

 _Oh Haru_ , thought Makoto, _holding you like this is cute._

Carrying him was nothing too difficult thanks to his strong-shaped body but he wondered what was his love dreaming about.

 _This vase_ , he thought, _it surely has such powers of its own…I can sense it._

Haruka opened his eyes finally and yawned a little. He blushed when he realized that he was being carried.

"O-oi!" said Haruka, "Can I be put down!?"

Makoto, "Oh you're so cute when you sleep, Haru-chan."

"I told you to stop using that," sighed Haurka as Makoto put him back on his feet.

Makoto wanted to laugh when they both heard a rumbling noise nearby.

"W-what was that!?" said Makoto.

"Something doesn't sound good," replied Haruka.

Makoto was shaking in fear for a moment as he stood behind Haruka, trembling in his moans

"Makoto!" echoed Suiei Tachibana's voice, "Stop being scared! Take out the vase!"

Makoto's eyes glowed green and he let go of Haruka while summoning his vase. Haruka turned to see the taller boy turning from soft-hearted to badass mode like how he when as a pirate captain and he grabbed Haruka's hand while he had the vase in the other hand.

The trees collapsed around them as a bunch of Nachas Spiders (spider-creatures with human-like faces on the thorax) crawled out and saw the two standing.

"W-what in the name of…!?" gasped Haruka

Makoto stepped in front of Haruka as he flipped his vase 360 degrees and splashed out some acidic liquid at the spider's face. The lead spider screeched as its face was getting burned from the acid dissolving.

"Waters of the blade…" chanted Makoto, "Side down our prey!"

He splashed a blast of water in the shape of a knife and sliced down several of the spiders down. Makoto wasted no time as he grabbed Haruka and shouted, "This way!"

The two ran through the forest as more Nachas crawled their way over, chasing after them. They tried to use their limited water magic as they were dodging the beasts before them.

After a couple of minutes, they arrived at a wooden bridge over the cliff with a river down below. The Nacahs roared and screeched, unleashing cobwebs from their pincers towards the two. Makoto turned and threw up a water shield to avoid the blasts.

Haruka looked at the bridge and felt how fragile it was and there was a good chance of breakage and falling. Makoto almost bumped into Haruka but got frightened again at the height they were at.

"H-Haru!" said Makoto.

"We have to take our chances!" replied the tsundere as he grabbed Makoto's hand, "The gods can catch us if we fall, after all..."

Before Makoto could reply, they saw a bright shiny star floating in the skies above. To them, it seem familiar as the star shimmered and glowed.

"W-what the?" asked Makoto, "That star?"

"Come on!" said Haruka as they began to run across the shaky bridge. Even though Makoto's eyes were glowing, he was still feeling nervous about this. The spiders unleashed more web blasts but Haruka threw up water shields.

Before they could reach the other end, a group of Chiropterans appeared and saw the two. A couple of them moved to the rope of the bridge and began to cut it down. Haruka unleashed a blast of water at the monsters, slicing it in half as the bridge began to shake.

Makoto turned to see the Nachas spiders unleashing cob web blasts at the other side of the cliff, creating their own bridge.

"Listen to your heart, Makoto," said Haruka, "Don't be scared."

Makoto nodded and closed his eyes, listening to the words o Suiei Tachibana, "My dear Makoto, you're doing great...once you get to the others, I know you'll resume the tough side that you had...don't let anything scare you."

The taller boy opened his eyes and glowed brighter green as he felt new strength being unleashed throughout his body. He swoop up Haruka again and growled in anger, rushing to the other end of the bridge.

Once they hit the other side, they saw the spiders making their way across as well but they had no time to waste their limited powers; the others were waiting!

* * *

**The Watcher's HQ – Outside**

Back at HQ, the members of the organization stood outside at their weapons ready as flocks of Chiropterans and Acephliterans were soaring above. It was already an early stage of the war ever since the Six Stars were beginning to wake up.

Aki Yazaki readied on the weapons with a group of people and fired the bullets and grenades and bombs. At the signal, the people fired them, knocking down and killing several of the monsters. Aki readied on her gun and shot down several of the beasts.

"I look tasty," laughed a voice, "Let me be a decoy!"

"No, don't!" said another voice, "It's too dangerous!"

Aki turned her head and gasped at the sight as she saw a familiar guy standing not far from his post who was laughing about the monsters.

"S-sousuke!?" gasped Aki.

The boy turned his head to see Aki and smirked, "Yo! Guess who decided to show up for the party!"

"W-what!?" asked Aki, "I…I don't understand."

"We'll talk later," he said as he readied his guns, firing the bullets at an oncoming Chiropteran, "We gotta kill these beasts here!"

 _He, he passed away back on Earth_ , thought Aki, _I thought I was the only one besides the Six Stars to be reborn here._

"Oi! Sousuke!" shouted Takeshi, "Go fetch the cache back-up!"

"On it!" said the younger boy as he dashed off.

"We have to turn on the barriers!" shouted one of the members, "It's far too dangerous to combat them!"

"Go fetch Jadwiga then," replied Takeshi, "Only she would tell you how to perform them!"

Aki readied herself with her weapon as she shot down several of the monsters while wondering what will become of the team. It was all in a matter of time before the Six Stars will finally reunite together and regain their powers once more.

* * *

**Inside:**

Anastasia watched from her room as a flock of Chiropterans were attacking the base. The people and servants were right at work to repel them back and fighting them off one by one. She didn't like the sight of fighting but at the same time, it sort of gave her memories of fighting back at home.

She turned to see a servant before her and said, "Have no fear your majesty...the safety barrier will be set up shortly."

Anastasia remained silent at first before replying, "It's just that I feel like I've seen a battle like this before...in a cold, icy place..."

The other servant kept silent as the princess concluded, "This isn't my home…I know it. I need to reclaim what was lost."

"E-eh!?" asked the servant, a bit shocked by the words.

"I don't know what happened to me before I can even remember who I am...but I need to get back...and figure out what can I do to patch up anything that led to the downfall of my people," she explained, "Please I need to fight!"

Before the servant could replied, another guardian showed up and said, "The barriers are beginning to activate."

"Can you please summon Jadwiga?" asked the servant, "This mouse here is beginning to wake up…"

The two left the room while Anastasia slept on her bed and closed her eyes, wondering what her real family was like. But despite this, she was still worried about Georgia and Alex.

 _If only I could even...remember...dancing halls, people laughing and singing...a boy who couldn't stop bothering me_ , she thought as her mind slipped into a dream…

* * *

"Sister!" echoed a voice.

Anastasia opened her eyes and saw what looked like her brother Alexei reaching out to her and smiled, "Sister!"

Before she could ask, Alexei morphed into two of her sisters, Ogla and Tatiana as they cheerfully giggled, "Anastasia!"

"Hey Anya!" smiled Maria after the two morphed around.

She tried to reach out to her family but felt like her hands couldn't move as if she was paralyzed. Was, this her…true family?

"Anya honey!" said Mother Alexandra as she touched her daughter's face with her hand.

"Anya, my sweet princess!" smiled Father Nicholas as he smiled happily.

"F-father!?" asked Anastasia as she tried to reach out but the image transformed as a cloaked figure stood before her.

Grigori Rasputin opened his hood and said, "Your family shall die! Once I defeat your father and your family, you shall be a prisoner!"

Anastasia freaked out and turned to run but the vision around her was all foggy and dark as she turned to see Rasputin transforming into what looked like Alex but had a different presence in place.

"O-onii-chan?" she asked.

The Chiropteran Rasputin took out his sword as Anastasia freaked out and shouted, "W-What are you…!?"

The monster soared up towards her and was about to slash her in half but she woke up violently and breathed heavily, almost falling down to the floor.

"O-onii-chan," she muttered sadly.

She looked up to see Jadwiga handing her a small vial with a black fluid inside, "Here, take it."

After she took a sip of the drink, Anastasia replied, "I want to know what is happening to me? Who am I…? What is this world? And why am I being accused of being Anastasia and not Anastasia."

Jadwiga closed her eyes for a moment but answered, "You…are the Grand Duchess Princess Anastasia Nikolaevna of the Romanov's Russia Empire. However, around 70 years ago, you were brought here to this place."

Anastasia looked at her confused and wondered how she could have lived all of this time.

"You were brought in by a man named Abram Goldsmith, leader of the organization of Terran Nost. However, you were unconscious at the time so I put you inside a stasis animation so you could be preserved until the Alex you met woke up from his slumber," she explained, "Both of you were sleeping for a while...but after Alex woke up from his hibernation, I woke you up and sent you to Georgia while Aki joined up with you guys."

"And since then, that was our family?" asked Anastasia.

Jadwiga nodded and replied, "For that one year, both of you embraced a happy life, forgetting that past. Alex and that other boy named Rei...were from the same world that you were from."

"And that would be…Earth? I think Aki said something about that," said the princess.

"Once the Six Stars reunite, Camelot will send them back to Earth," replied Jadwiga.

"I'm going too," said Anastasia, "I'm going to fight and find out where I am from!"

"You have no experience…" began Jadwiga.

"I don't care! It's not fair that I have to sit down and do nothing but pray to myself how much longer can I live in this condition!" snapped Anastasia, "I should have the right to know what I need to do!"

"If that is what you wish," replied the leader, "I will ask my teammates to train and prepare you. However, you cannot turn back after this once you know the truth. You'll be facing monsters beyond your imagination...and a world filled with lies and deception."

Jadwiga led her out of the room as the barrier was completed and the Chiropterans fled from the area. However, it was time for initiation and training since there is not much time before a massive battle erupts between the "Two Kings".

* * *

Aki walked in to the dining area and grabbed something to drink. It was an all-out fight but she was relieved that the Chiropterans were gone. However, during the battle, she was surprised to have met someone from the past who was here.

Sousuke Yamazaki sat down at the table, eating some rice and meat while washing down with a glass of water. He turned to see Aki as the silent girl sat down next to him.

"I thought you were dead after the others passed away," said Aki.

"The same can be said for you," he replied.

"Well…after I died," she explained, "I was told by Witch Boy to attend to this world. He wanted me to make sure that the Six Stars will reunite and take care of the princess."

"Huh, I was asked by the same thing by the same man," he replied, "Damn I missed those good ol'days back on Lynwin. I was a bit sad at first for Rin marrying off Rei...but at least those two seemed to have significance."

"The same was for me and Haruka, I did had a tiny crush on him," she answered, "He met that foreigner Alex…the same one who is now a Chiropteran here."

"He…what!?" asked Sousuke, shocked, "What about the others?"

"Well Rei was here a bit ago and was obsessed with Alex…I think it has to do with their times in Italy," she replied, "The others…I have no clue."

"So, uh…who did you end up marrying with?" asked Sousuke.

"Nitori Aiichirou," she answered, "You were with Chigusa Hanamura, right?"

"Yeah I was; she was pretty cute," he smirked.

"Nitori was cute too," she said, "At least he knew how to cook up stuff; Mikoshiba and Haru-chan trained him a few times so he could make it on his own before living with me."

"Mikoshiba!" laughed Sousuke, "I can't believe I almost forgot about him! He married off Gou-chan, right?"

Aki nodded.

"I just don't get it," sighed Sousuke, "Why is it us that has to be responsible for all of this knowledge? Shouldn't we have told them everything?"

"You should know why," she answered, "Witch boy told us to keep things quiet for them."

"Yeah, yeah," he grunted, "But where are they? Mikoshiba, Gou, and Nitori?"

"They're not here," she replied after a moment of silence.

"W-what!?" he answered, "I thought it was…"

"There's more to what is going on behind the scenes," said Aki, "Kaarina said that the six stars are set to be reunited soon...just like how it was in the past."

"And I assume that they will end up together?" asked Sousuke.

"Most likely," she nodded.

"Damn, I miss Rin a lot; we would hang out a lot when we were kids on Earth. Haruka…Makoto….and I think Nagisa were also there and they were somewhat an interesting group," he said.

"Easy for you to say...Rin, Haruka, Nagisa and Makoto were quite the show for the relay," said Aki as she took out the photo of the four of them back when they were kids.

"You did compete, right?" asked Sousuke.

"I won third place with my girls…in a different relay though," answered Aki.

Before the two could continue, the people turned to see Jadwiga walking in with Anastasia and they all grew silent and still.

"I-is that…?" whispered Sousuke, shocked.

"Yes," she whispered back.

Jadwiga stood on the base of the podium and said, "Good evening. Just a short time ago, the Chiropterans were at battle against us. It is not doubt that our enemies are going to start a new war now that things have begun to move. We cannot allow them to fulfill their sickening goals for they will tear the nations apart further than it has been.

"It's time that we begin…Project Magic Six."

The members gasped and muttered amongst themselves but Jadwiga continued, "We cannot take any more time to wait. Next to me here is Anastasia, she will be joining us for the fight and will need all the training that we can provide for her. Most of all, Alex is on his way to reunite with the Six Stars...and we must give them our support as well."

"It's a risk we are willing to take...he won't make the same mistake he made 18 years ago... after all, we all know who did the crime..."

The audience muttered and silenced themselves as they continued to listen to her, "Also we are going to have to start going all out against our enemy from the Pandotess Lab for they will begin to unleash more assaults. So please let us cooperate and begin Project Magic Six."

The Audience clapped and murmured between, wondering what the future will hold for this world.

* * *

Meanwhile, the two unlikely lovers continued their way north, following the star for the last couple of days. It was an exhaustion and rather dangerous every time but Rei's memories began to grew some more and recalled more things.

As for Alex, he only remained the same as a Chiropteran.

"We are nowhere near the desert," muttered the Chiropteran.

"Ugh I just don't understand," sighed Rei as he looked at the map, "We are following this star for days and we are still not even near our destination!"

"I have to admit though…" said Alex, "Your stories are at least entertaining…about this other 'Alex' of yours. I can't believe he would go anything out of his way."

"But he did," smiled Rei, "And I am glad because of that."

"I'm only here because of my mission...but I wonder what will happen once I start to get to my next hibernation cycle..." explained the Chiropteran.

Rei grunted and replied, "I won't let that happen!"

"Well," said Alex, "I have never met anyone that was so possessive for me...I don't even recall about love. To me, it's for those who are just ordinary."

"W-what!?" gasped Rei, "Do you really think love is something useless? Can be replaced? That you can live without it?!"

"Oh I had people with The Watchers, but they only trained and took care of me even though I originally disobeyed them a few times; hence my reason to be in the cage. I was always so busy with my mission so I never understood that kind of love…as in being with the one you are destined with."

Rei remained silent as the Chiropteran continued, "I assume that love cannot exist for me since no one would want to wait 30 years for me..."

"I would wait!" replied Rei.

"…30 years; you'd be in your 50s the next time you want to see me," said Alex.

"I don't care!" answered the megane, "You are more important to me than age difference!"

Alex stopped as he turned to see Rei's necklace glowing while the star in the skies glowed brighter and brighter.

"W-what's happening?!" asked Rei.

" ** _My dear Rei…_** " echoed Suiei Ryugazaki, **_"We finally got a connection with the other gods; now you shall reunite together! Keep Alex by your side during the transport!"_**

Before Alex could reply, Rei grabbed him as they felt a swirl of water teleporting and cloaking them to their destination.

* * *

Rin and Nagisa raced across the landscape as they were being chased by a group of Nachas Spiders. Nagisa felt his necklace glowing followed by Rin's necklace.

"W-what?!" gasped Nagisa.

" ** _My dear children_** ," echoed Suiei Matsuoka, " ** _It is enough that all of you had to be separated for so long...thanks to Rei and Alex rebuilding the star in the skies...we are able to connect all of you together!_** "

The two dodged a blast of cobwebs from the spiders as Rin threw up another shield.

" ** _Now we will teleport you so you all can reunite!_** " said Suiei Hazuki.

"Hang onto me!" shouted Rin as he broke the shield down and dodged the pincers from the Nachas.

The two grabbed each other's hands as a swirl of water covered them together, taking them to their location of destination.

* * *

Makoto and Haruka ran for what it seemed for days; the star glowed brighter while their necklaces glowed with blue and green hues.

"Th-that star," said Makoto, recognizing its importance, "I remember it now!"

"We used it to rescue Sergi-chan," replied Haruka, "As well as defeating the Shadow Mafia!"

" ** _You finally remembered now_** ," echoed Suiei Nanase.

" ** _We are so proud of you two...however, more memories are still in the shadows...but we got in connection with the other gods..._** " said Suiei Tachibana's voice.

" ** _Now then, let's come together…! Go…Makoto….Haruka…go find your destiny with the others at last!_** " agreed Suiei Nanase.

Haruka saw swirls of water beneath their feet as Makoto hugged him tightly, closing his eyes to not feel afraid of the change in scene. Haruka smiled briefly as their vision around them changed.

* * *

Kaarina slammed her staff down again as she unleashed blasts of energy from the star on the staff.

 ** _"Six stars…finally, you shall become the will that destroys the heavens!"_** she chanted.

She unleashed streams of energy across the void as the six spheres glow brightly in their respective colors of neon red, yellow, pink, green, blue, and purple all around herself.

* * *

The three couples arrived at the outside base at the temple of Iwamara...each of them are still separated from the group but they will now enter in three separate entrances.

Alex woke up to see that he and Rei were back in Iwamara and gasped to see the same set of stairs that he ran up to find his mother.

"H-how?!" he muttered in shocked as he saw the temple glowing.

"H-huh?" asked Rei as he woke up to see the bright light from the temple.

"I-I was here when I woke up to remember my powers of a Chiropteran," said Alex, "MOTHER!"

Rei saw Alex already climbing up the stairs rapidly and got up on his feet to follow. He couldn't allow himself to lose sight of his partner.

"MOTHER!" screamed Alex as he got closer to the top and felt like he was going to cry.

"Alex, wait!" shouted Rei.

Rin woke up to see a strange temple glowing and got Nagisa on his feet and the two stared at the bright light from the place.

"Let's go check it out!" said Nagisa as he held Rin's hand and the two rushed up the stairs together.

Nearby, Makoto and Haruka woke up and saw the set of stairs to the temple before them.

"W-what is this place?" asked Haruka.

"We should go see!" smiled Makoto as he held Haruka's hand, "Come on!"

The two rushed up the stairs as Haruka started to see some familiar things about the design, "Is it just me or does this place?"

Alex got to the top of the stairs and saw five gigantic statues of male-looking figures in strange cloaks and garments. Rin stopped to see the statues while Nagisa was amazed at the sight. Rei walked in and breathed a moment or two just as Haruka and Makoto got in.

"T-this is!" gasped Haruka.

Rin and Makoto turned to see each other in shock while Rei saw Nagisa, Rin, Makoto and Haruka. Alex stood there in annoyance as he did not see any sign of his mother.

 _M-mother_ , he thought sadly as he watched the boys standing in shock of seeing each other again while their hearts were singing;

_I swim for the team, We swim together_

_I believe in my team, We start from here_

_I swim for the team, We swim together_

_I believe in my team, We start from here_

_I believe in my team, We are EVER BLUE…_

Rei saw the others and cried out, running towards them, "MAKOTO! HARU! NAGISA! RIN!"

"REI! MAKOTO! HARU!" replied Rin as he smiled brightly to see them.

"NAGISA! REI! RIN!" cried Makoto.

Rin and Nagisa rushed in while Makoto and Haruka joined up with Rei as the five glomped together happily. Alex did not move from his spot as he analyzed the five guys in front of him.

"And in the end…I am alone… _always_ alone", he muttered.

Rei quickly broke away and grabbed Alex as the others gasped to see the final star and they all glomped together happily and laughing with joy.

"O-Oi!" gasped Alex.

"Oh Alex," laughed Rin, "We remember you too! Don't be shy!"

Makoto laughed happily and Nagisa giggled at the wonderful reunion as the six stars joined. However, Haruka felt something odd about the last star but he tried to ignore it as he felt Rin glomping by him.

"I can't believe it! We are finally here! Together!" said Nagisa, laughing happily.

"Oh what a sight I have never seen...it's beautiful!" agreed Rin, spilling tears of joy.

"Rin," smiled Makoto as he chuckled at Rin's happy tears.

"I miss you all so much!" laughed Rei as he was feeling so great by the group hug.

"Same to all of you," smiled Haruka.

Alex took a moment to concentrate before he finally managed to release himself from the gang while grunted in annoyance. He was already not thrilled by all of this and knew that there was no need to deal with such people. His mother was gone and his siblings were in the hands of "The Watcher's"; to him it was the last thing he needed.

"W-what!?" gasped Rin as he was shocked to see the dark attitude, "A-Alex!?"

"Eh?!" asked Makoto as he turned to see Alex standing away from them with his katana by his side.

" ** _I am not who you think I am_** ," said Alex darkly, not turning to them.

"W-what do you mean?!" asked Nagisa.

Haruka and Rei remained silent at this as the group was a bit shocked and wondering what was happening even though Rei was already freaking out in his mind on how to explain all of the truth to them.

"What's with yourself now?" asked Haruka, "You clearly are not…"

" ** _Don't you see?_** " asked Alex, turning around and his eyes glowed red like a vampire.

Makoto, Nagisa, Rin, and Haruka gasped at the sight as the blonde replied, "W-what?! Alex-chan…what, what happened to you!?"

**~Episode 7 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 8 PV~**

**Rin** : WE FINALLY MADE IT! *Laughs happily*

 **Makoto** : Oh how much I miss you guys! 

**Nagisa** : HARU-CHAN! REI-CHAN! MAKO-CHAN! Alex-chan!?

 **Alex** : …*grunts darkly*

 **Haruka** : *gasps*A-Alex! What happened to you?

 **Rei** : Um…I…I can explain…

 **Alex** : I'm going to kill Rasputin for my own reasons…I don't need any of you!

 **Rin** : *feels insulted* W-what?! How can you say such a thing?! And who is Rasputin?

 **Nagisa** : But first…what happened to you!? Why are your eyes glowing red this time?

 **Makoto** : …I have a bad feeling about all of this.

 **Rei** : …just listen to me! I can explain!

 **Haruka** : Next Time, Free! **_Distant Free; The Magic Six!_** _Can we really be the team that we once were?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can we really be the team that we once were? - Haruka Nanase
> 
> The moment of truth has arrived! Makoto, Haruka, Nagisa, Rin, Rei and Alex have finally reunited! However, the Chiropteran keeps his distance away and desires nothing from the swimmers. Will they be able to accept the truth and be willing to understand what happened to their lost friend? Before all that can be revealed, an evil manipulator has already got plans ready for the battle ahead and will stop at nothing to crush the Six Stars!

**_Episode 8:_ ** **_遠くのフリー！_ ** **_;_ ** **_ザマジックシックス_ ** **_Distant Free; The Magic Six!_ **

_~Can we really be the team that we once were?~_

**_Six stars…finally, you shall become the will that destroys the heavens!_ **

* * *

The five sexy swimming boys stared at their last member of the team before them. They remembered their first meeting with him as dark and vengeful because of his bad childhood life on Earth but this boy before them was even darker yet and more twisted than before. Rei could only feel nervous on what the outcome will be if he told them the truth.

Alex's eyes glowed red at them as he stared with silence and anger.

"Th-those eyes!" gasped Rin.

"It…it can't be!" trembled Makoto as he realized something while he turned to Haruka.

"I remember your eyes did glow red back on Earth. But this time…it's even darker than what it was," said Haruka.

"Yes why?" asked Nagisa, feeling a bit nervous too, "Why are you like this?"

Rin turned to Rei and asked, "You know something about him?"

"He doesn't have a Suiei Necklace either…" said Haruka as he realized that there was no indication of the boy before them possessing any magic.

"It's a long story," replied Rei, "I…"

Alex stared at them for a moment before turning around and muttered, "So…this is what Jadwiga meant…five other boys in total."

"Huh?" asked Rin, "Jad…what?"

Makoto turned to Nagisa as he was feeling a bit nervous but the blonde shrugged, not understanding what was happening either.

"Oi!" snapped Rin, getting annoyed, "Why are you so silent?!"

Alex turned around and replied, "I have nothing in need from you guys; you're all nothing to me."

Makoto and Haruka felt insulted and a bit hurt by that since the latter remembered Alex as his very special person but he showed no sign of tears or anything, just pure shock and confusion.

"H-how dare you!?" said Rin, feeling hurt by this, "You were once amongst us! We were a team together for your own sake and for our sake, and for the gods!"

Rei turned to Rin and said, "Calm down Rin!

Rin grunted to himself while Rei turned back to Alex and replied, "And Alex please, you're making things worse..."

"Rin," said Nagisa, holding the red-haired boy's hand, "We should let Rei explain himself about all of this."

"As I said before, I am only here to defeat my prey," said Alex as he gripped on his sword, "Not to join a circus with you guys."

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Haruka.

"This isn't the Alex that we knew of!" said Makoto, feeling a bit saddened by all of this.

"I have no time to waste," replied Alex, "I must be on my way…farewell."

The Chiropteran took only a few steps when he saw pillars of water blocking all of the exits before him. The five turned to see Suiei Nanase and Tachibana using their powers to block Alex inside.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Suiei Matsuoka.

"The gods!" gasped Haruka, realizing the magic going on.

Rei walked up to Alex and held his hand, saying, "Alex please listen to me! We need to talk to them. You may not remember…but you are important for us!"

"For the team," agreed Rin, "That's what we were! We were known as the **_Magic Six_** and we swam and fought together!"

Alex grunted in annoyance and breaks away from Rei but before he could take a step forward, he was flash frozen inside a seal of ice by the combined powers from the gods.

"W-what just!?" gasped Rei as the others were shocked.

"Sorry about that," said Suiei Nanase, "But we had no other choice."

"I don't like this," sighed Suiei Matsuoka, "Not one bit."

"Clearly this Alex isn't the same one as we all remembered," said Suiei Hazuki with a sigh, "And how dare that he tried to hurt the others and Nagisa with those words!"

Suiei Tachibana turned to the boys and said, "One of us is still missing…I am sure you all know that."

"S-Suiei Marotta," muttered Makoto, "He's not here."

Nagisa lowered his head and replied with a sadden expression, "This is because of what happened to him, is that it?"

"Rei, you had something to tell about this?" asked Haruka.

"Yes, please tell us if you know anything about what happened to Alex and Suiei Marotta," agreed Makoto.

Rin sighed and replied, "I can't believe this…I looked forward to a happy reunion and now one of us is missing still."

They all sat down as Rei sat in the middle while the others stared at him, eager to listen to the story.

"From what I have been told," began Rei, "Alex was born into the family of Chiropterans."

Nagisa gasped as he recalled on the visions with Rin about how they saw all various kinds of monsters including the Chiropterans. And that further evidence of the files they found have further their suspicion and now Rei just confirmed it all.

"Just like on Earth…he's not a human?" asked Rin.

"I got a bad feel about all of this," said Makoto.

"Yes, he is not a human once again," replied Rei sadly.

"Keep going," replied Haruka.

"How is it possible this time?" asked Nagisa.

"Well it wasn't easy," said Rei, "I live in Aeuropa City where education is primed of its importance. Anyway, I had a project about what happened in Herisia and then I started to get my memories back so I hacked into government systems to try and find somebody named Alex."

The others waited as Rei took a breath and continued, "I found someone in the next city so I took a train. But the city was under attack and fell to ruins when I arrived. Then, Alex saved me and ran into forest but I wasn't so sure at first. After I found the evidence I needed, I followed him until I found him after he rescued me from a trap."

"Herisia…" muttered Haruka.

"You know, Herisia," explained Makoto, "Was a town that was between Terra Magna and Iglis Magna."

"I knew that," said Rei, "But what about it? And what are Terra Magna and Iglis Magna?"

"Well…Haruka and I were both from there…I was from Iglis while Haru-chan was from Terra," said the taller boy, "After what happened in Herisia, both of our clans were at war with each other."

"So no wonder both of you were fighting!" said Rin.

"Eh? H-how did you know?" asked Haruka.

"I am from Neo Tabuk as prince," replied the red-hair, "My life there was filled with sacred visions that I performed. When I met Nagisa, we both snuck into my private chamber and I was able to see both of you fighting as well as you Rei searching for Alex."

"I see," said Rei as he fixed his glasses with the megane look.

"Did he treat you this harshly the whole time?" asked Haruka.

"Sometimes…but it wasn't so bad, I…I got used to it," replied the megane.

Makoto turned to look at the ice that held Alex inside; he wasn't sure to whether feel bad for him or to regard him as being an imposter.

"H-how can you get used to it!?" said Nagisa, shocked, "It sounds like he hates everything and everyone that he sees!"

"That's just how he is right now…part of his trait as a Chiropteran," explained Rei, "But listen! There's hope to get him back to normal…somehow."

"Is it possible?" asked Haruka as the others were a bit shocked to hear such hope.

Makoto kept silent as he recalled on the story that Anne told him about his father and this Chiropteran…could it be?

"Well what happened after that? Did you figure out what happened to Alex and Herisia?" asked Nagisa.

"Yes," said Rei, "After a few days we were captured and taken in by "The Watchers". They kept Alex in a cage because he was acting up in his own bloody mind and Jadwiga explained to me what happened."

The others grew silent as they were worried on what really went down 18 years ago…the truth was finally at hand!

"18 years ago, they had an emergency mission because of an infestation of monsters invading the village; they took Alex into battle but then something went wrong…Alex grew berserk when his twin brother…Rasputin took over his body and killed everyone in sight," explained Rei.

The other boys' eyes widened in shock as everything that they heard was all making sense. However, the amount of deaths and that Alex still slaughtered people angered Makoto.

"W-what?!" gasped Nagisa, "You mean that it is true then!?"

"H-how did you know?" asked Rei.

"Rin-chan and I found a stash of documents back in a library of my town of Lha'li," said Nagisa, "It had pictures of what looked like Alex with longer, messy hair and red glowing eyes…it was pretty scary looking."

"So…" began Makoto, " _He was the cause of the entire war that my clan has fought_."

"Makoto," said Rin," Didn't you pay attention to what Rei explained?"

"Anne told me," replied Makoto, "That a monster was in that village 18 years ago…and thanks to him, this was an era of useless bloodshed!"

"Makoto, listen to me," said Rei, "Alex… ** _did…not…KILL…them_** , you got it? He was controlled mentally and couldn't do anything to stop himself. How do you think he felt? He had to watch himself killing all of those people…and it's no doubt that he still believes that it's his own fault that they're dead."

Makoto grunted but Rei begged, "Please don't hate him because of what his brother did to him."

"You said something about 'The Watchers'," began Haruka, "Who are they?"

"Oh right, The Watcher's is an organization who are rebelling against Alex's true blood parents of the Chiropterans. They also protect Alex when he is in his hibernation cycle," explained Rei.

"H-hibernation cycle?" asked Nagisa.

"Alex sleeps every 2 – 3 years for a cycle of 30 years of rest," said Rei, "It's no doubt that he's far older than us…"

"Was he ever adopted into a family?" asked Rin.

"The last time he woke up, he was in a foster family with his mother, Georgia, and two sisters, Anya and Aki," replied the megane.

"A-Aki…" muttered Haruka, as the name was familiar to him.

"Aki Yazaki," agreed Rei, "She was under the alias of Aki Rover while Anya's true name is Anastasia."

Nagisa's eyes blinked as he somehow recalled a dream that asked him to find Anastasia. Is it possible that the princess was here in this world?

"But first off, how did Aki get in this world?" asked Makoto, "She and the others don't have Suiei Gods like we do."

"Rin!" said Nagisa, "We need to show them the book!"

"Right," replied the red-hair as he watched Nagisa summoning the book from Suiei Hazuki.

"It's funny that Anastasia was also familiar to me," said Rin as he watched Nagisa summoning the book.

"Wh-what is that?" asked Makoto.

Haruka remained silent while Rei asked, "A book? What's the importance of it?"

"It's very important, just take a look!" smiled Nagisa.

Makoto and Haruka joined with Rei as they crawled over to see the contents inside.

"Ehhhh!?" asked Makoto, shocked as he saw the images taking on an animated form, showing a vast of various scenes.

Rin smiled as he sees the four of them when they were kids, swimming in the elementary relay and winning the trophy and stuff. Haruka watched himself and the others separating their ways and coming back as memories of their life in the Time Loop struck them. Makoto on the other hand, saw the Suiei Gods in an ancient city and being betrayed and placing their souls into their own bodies.

Rei watched as he saw himself talking to Alex for the first time as well as going to Iwatobi High School with Serah and Gou when the two foreigners visited their town. Nagisa smiled as he sees himself fighting against the cloaked figures of the Shadow Mafia.

Haruka watched the pictures changing as he saw the rebirth of their lives from the Time Loop as well as meeting with Serah, Izawa, Leon and many others. Makoto smiled and sees the full team, the Magic Six swimming together in a "newly beta-relay race" of six people.

"This is what I remembered," said Makoto.

Nagisa turned the page and saw themselves getting married on Lynwin-Mu and commented, "Oh this was so beautiful!"

Rei turned the page and was confused at the blank pages.

"It's blank," said Haruka, "Why?"

"It is only because five of you have remembered your pasts, or at least most of them," replied Suiei Matsuoka.

"Once all six of you remember, the remaining pages will fill up," said Suiei Nanase.

"Yes! In order to fix that, you must help Alex on his quest whether he likes it or not," instructed Suiei Hazuki.

"You need to assist him on defeating Rasputin…do not let him fight alone," said Suiei Ryugazaki.

"But be careful that they are twins and that Sergi doesn't exist in this world, nor does Gou, Nitori, Mikoshiba, and the others," added Suiei Tachibana.

"However, it is possible that if Alex remembers his real brother, it may help him to defeat Rasputin together with your powers," agreed Suiei Matsuoka.

"But where is his Suiei God?" asked Rin.

"He's not here," replied Suiei Nanase, "But he will rise once more once Alex remembers his past life on Earth."

"Seeing that Rasputin has controlled his body," said Haruka, "It's no doubt that he'll be messing up his mind."

"I suppose we will have to be on alert then when he starts to go off," sighed Makoto.

"That is correct. Rasputin will try to invade your minds as well but seeing that your memories have come back, they are well-shielded from his attacks," replied Suiei Tachibana.

They all heard a crackling sound nearby as the ice that sealed Alex began to split open.

"The ice!" gasped Rin.

The ice exploded into shards as Alex felt dizzy from the flash freeze and was breathing heavily from the cold. He felt that he was going to collapse and fell to the floor, entering to his "sleeping state" from exhaustion. The others turned in shock as they saw their last member on the floor.

"Oi! Alex!" shouted Rei as he got up and rushed over to check up on him but saw that the boy was still breathing, only sleepy.

"What happened to him now?" asked Rin.

"He's asleep," said Rei.

Haruka sighed and replied, "Well then, where are we going to rest?"

"It'd be nice to find a place somewhere," agreed Rin.

"Maybe a pool too," smiled Makoto as Haruka blushed in wanting to strip off.

"Rei-chan," said Nagisa, "Do you know where we are?"

"This is town of Iwamara," he answered, "Alex lived here during his one year…"

"Is it just me or does this town of Iwamara sound a lot like Iwatobi?" asked Haruka.

"Coincidence, no?" asked Rin while Makoto shrugged.

"We'll need a place to eat and rest," said Nagisa.

Rin got up on his feet and replied, "Well, are we going to this 'Iwamara' town or not?"

Haruka got up and stretched himself while Nagisa got up and bounced on his feet for excitement of another adventure. Makoto was still feeling awkward about the whole ordeal of Alex, Chiroptreans, and the Herisia tragedy.

"I don't think we'll find anything there…" began Rei.

"Why?" asked Makoto.

"The city was destroyed," replied the megane.

The others gasped as Nagisa answered, "W-what?! H-how is it destroyed?"

"Remember when I told you that city where I went to look for Alex was under attack? It's this city..." said Rei.

"So not only Herisia…but also Iwamara," muttered Rin.

Makoto turned to see Alex on the ground as he was wondering if Alex did a relapse of what he did while grunting in anger.

"Makoto!" snapped Nagisa, "Stop blaming Alex!"

"If I don't kill him," said Makoto, "Anne will; if she finds out about all of this."

Rei turned to Makoto and snapped, "I hope you don't plan on telling this person about Alex! You want him dead?! He was a part of our lives back on Earth too if you haven't forgotten!"

"I know that!" growled Makoto, "However, Anne was my First Mate of the Tachibana Pirate Clan. Her father disappeared around the time Herisia happened and she joined my crew to find him. It's a good chance that he's dead...because of Alex."

" ** _Only a chance_** , Makoto; you don't know if he's dead or not so don't make decision based on assumption! Maybe he's alive?!" replied Rei.

"What I'm worried about is what would happen if the people of my town found out about this," said Rin, "Alex is one of the six stars and yet was the one who went rampant…armies from my town went to Herisia long ago and they vow revenge on that madman who killed so many people."

"Well that's not good, I hope we don't have to go to that town," sighed Rei.

"To make matters worse, 75% of the town don't believe in the Six Stars...they are under the influence of the gods of Iwatobi and Sametsuka..." answered Rin.

"Eh?" asked Makoto, confused.

"Iwatobi…Sametsuka?" asked Rei, "I thought they were just mascots..."

"Our religion dictates that the world of Duniya was crafted by Iwatobi...god of the air...and Sametuska, god of the sea. It was once a ball of fire but thanks to the vapor of the lava and fire...the atmosphere was formed with the air that we breathe in...and the sea that covers this world," explained the red-haired boy.

"But what about us? Our Suiei Gods and our own existence?" asked Haruka.

"We all know based from the book here that the gods created the seas that allowed live to exist back on Earth...but you think that they were the ones to construct this world too?" answered Makoto.

"Well it's no doubt that they do know the answers," said Rei as he picked up Alex, "But we'll talk about it later. We need to find a place to stay."

"If Iwamara is destroyed, how the hell are we going to find a place?" asked Rin.

Rei carried Alex in bridal style and walked out to see a small looking house down the hill. The others followed him and they left the temple while the Suiei Gods floated around in worry for their final member of not showing up.

"It's weak…the connection," said Suiei Nanase.

"But they've finally have begun to remember," added Suiei Matsuoka.

"They still have a long journey ahead," agreed Suiei Ryugazaki.

"Humph! I hope nobody will be stupid enough to attack my precious Nagisa!" said a sassy Suiei Hazuki.

"This isn't the time to get obsessive right now," said Suiei Tachibana, holding hands with Hazuki and Nanase, "We have to get our brother back."

The five formed a circular chain as they closed their eyes and focused on their unity in hopes to reach out to Marotta. After a few moments, they heard a barely audio tone of the final star, gasping and moaning into slumber and death.

"H-help…me-meeee," echoed Suiei Marotta's voice.

"H-he's dying!" gasped Suiei Matsuoka.

"We have to help him, time is slipping away!" said Suiei Hazuki.

"We must give them their Arabian clothes for battle…with their swords as needed," replied Suiei Tachibana.

"For now, let them rest," said Suiei Nanase, "They need to settle down before they can ready themselves on what is yet to come."

The gods nodded and vanished into the mists as they could only wait and hope that their human selves will help Alex fulfill his mission as well as regain his memories once more.

The five arrived at an old-looking house while Rei carried Alex in his arms. The Chiropteran was still asleep from all of the distress and other things. Rei wondered if this was just because he was tired...or was it a warning sign of hibernation.

"Oi! Sexy butterfly, what's the matter?" asked Rin.

"I see you still remembered that," said Makoto as he and Haruka dropped a sweat of nervousness while Nagisa giggled a bit to himself.

Rei blushed and looked at his watch and read, "9:30 PM".

"Huh?" replied Rin.

"It's nothing, I was only looking at the time," replied Rei.

"Well, all of you guys are sexy…sexy butterfly, sexy dolphin, sexy penguin, sexy orca…but what was Alex's animal?" asked Rin.

Makoto, Haruka, and Nagisa blushed while Rei replied, "Uhhh, hmmm…you know, I don't remember that part."

"Well once he remembers, I'll give him his sexy nickname as well," chuckled Rin.

Haruka opened the door and the others walked in while Makoto stopped and reached out his hand to him, saying, "Haru, I may not be happy with things...but maybe Rei is right. There's more to what we don't know."

"I just don't want things to get worse than it already has," he replied while holding hands to him, "Now let's go in."

The two walked in as Nagisa found a set of sofas and said, "Rei there is a sofa, you can put Alex there."

The megane nodded and set Alex down to the couch and answered, "We'll have to look around for some food. Maybe can find something to eat?"

Haruka walked into the kitchen along with Rin and Makoto while Nagisa and Rei were not far behind as the megane briefly turned his head to make sure Alex wouldn't move.

"Is it just me…or does it remind us of that time when we did training…" began Makoto.

"Hehehe, it does!" smirked Nagisa, "Which means… _Rei will have to check the refrigerator!_ "

"Me?!" gasped Rei in shock and annoyance, "A-again…?"

Haruka and Makoto shared another sweat drop of nervousness as they both recalled that night back on Earth while they were training to build endurance for the swimming prefecturals.

"Uhhhh? Could someone…explain?" asked Rin, not understanding the joke.

"Nagisa came up with that joke last time...while you were busy with your Sametsuka team," said Makoto, trying hard not to laugh.

"Well it does sound kinda...cheesy?" shrugged Rin.

"Hey! Rei has to check it because it's **_Rei_** - _frigerator_!" laughed Nagisa.

Rin smirked at the joke as he finally understood it.

"Geeze, alright! Alright! I'm going…" sighed the megane as he swiftly walked up to the fridge and opened it like a boss, making sure he wasn't in harm's way. He sighed in relief as he saw plenty of food as if someone was out shopping lately.

"At least it looks better," said Rei, pulling out some stuff.

"Looks like there's plenty of fruit, beef and some other stuff," smirked Rin.

"Mackerel cans…" drooled Haruka.

"Not to mention the drinks here," said Makoto.

"Does someone even live in this place?" asked Rin.

"Well it didn't look that abandoned," replied Rei as he took out some of the soda cans.

"Maybe a monster lives here," smirked Nagisa.

"NEEEEH!?" gasped Makoto as he jumped behind Haruka in fear.

Rin rolled his eyes and said, "Nagisa, that's not cute. You do realize we cannot joke at a time like this where real monsters **_ARE_** roaming around."

"Well I'm sorry about that," said the blonde in a sassy tone, "I just wanted to have some fun with Makoto at least…"

Makoto sighed as Nagisa's tone turned to a more genuine and said, "I'm sorry Mako-chan."

"At least you didn't kick a can this time," replied the taller boy.

* * *

Back in the living room, Alex tossed and turned a little as he could feel the presence of something warm before him.

"M-mother...f-father…" he muttered.

* * *

Rin's ears perked up as he heard something and said, "Oi! Did you guys hear that?!"

"Huh?" asked Makoto.

"Well that was an acci-" began Nagisa when he heard the fainting voice, "Y-yeah I just heard the last of it."

Rei walked into the living room and saw Alex breathing heavily and sweating up a little, "A-Alex, are you alright?"

* * *

In a dark place, Alex rushed through the halls of some cold, stone hallway like a medieval fortress. He saw a tall figure standing before him, reaching out to the boy.

"My son," echoed the voice of Tesseract, "Why have you returned? It's not safe here…you must flee!"

"Bu-but why?" he asked, "You know don't you…why is mom trying to…?"

Pandora walked into the scene with three guards by her side while readying a blast of her powers towards them. Before the others could react, Pandora smirked and shattered Tesseract to shreds.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!" screamed Tesseract as a blast from Pandora struck him down, shattering him into shards.

"Why are you with such a child my husband…" she muttered when she recognized her son and screamed violently.

"W-what's the matter?!" asked one of her guards.

 ** _"SOMEBODY KILL THAT BOY!"_** shouted Pandora, **_"KILL HIMMMMMMMM!"_**

Pandora was breathing heavily as her outfit changed from robes to a more open-like outfit (almost naked) and her hands transformed into a dagger as wings grew from her back. Alex could feel his heartbeat pounding faster and faster at the moment with fear.

"K-kill him…" said Pandora softly at first, trying to breathe and relax...

 ** _"Somebody…SOMEBODY KILL HIMMMM!"_** shouted the Chiropteran mother as she soared up to Alex for the kill with a wicked smile on her face.

Alex's eyes widened and screamed loudly as he saw her flying towards him; he had to escape this nightmare or else…

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Alex as he was throwing himself around the couch, his arms and legs kicking all over. His eyes were still locked shut as the nightmare frightened him to wake up.

The others rushed in and saw Rei trying to calm Alex down but it was not working.

"REI!" shouted Makoto as he handed him his vase, "Use this! Get him to drink it!"

"Oh Rei-chan, please save him!" said Nagisa as he was holding his hand with Rin with horror from the sight.

Haruka and Makoto decided to hold Alex's arms and legs with their strength to keep him from hurting Rei as the megane readied the vase.

"Waters of the gentle seas, please save our friend from the darkness cursing in him!" chanted Rei as he poured the fluid from the vase into Alex's mouth.

The chiropteran moaned as the liquid flowed through his system and was finally calming down a little but his eyes did not open up. Haruka and Makoto let go of the limbs and sighed in relief.

"It must be Rasputin," said Rin.

"Poor Alex," sighed Nagisa.

"Maybe he tried to take control of his body again," replied Rei, "We can't leave him alone too much if that's the case."

"Somebody will have to stay to check on Alex. We can take turns and rotate," agreed Nagisa.

Makoto sighed and replied, "R-Rei…I'm sorry from what I said. It's just that all of this has only shocked me to the point that I don't know what to do…but I guess my natural instincts from Earth returned to help him."

"Don't worry about it," nodded the megane, "We're all on the same page here."

"You know, he does look a lot like what he used to be...that hairstyle of his...was his eyes golden too Rei?" asked Haruka.

"Yes they were," said Rei, "But it was like once or twice that I've seen them in that color."

Haruka lied down on the floor and stared up at the ceiling as he was ready to fall asleep soon.

"Haru?" asked Makoto as he sat down next to him.

Nagisa sat down next to Rin and asked, "Is everything okay, Haru-chan?"

"…it feels weird," said Haruka, "I remember Alex being like this when he first got to Japan."

"I remember that too," agreed Rin, "He was after that "celebrity" while he wanted to save his brother Sergi."

"I must admit, it's very paralleled to him...but this time, he's after this "brother" for vengeance?" asked Makoto while turning to Rei.

"Yes," he replied, "Alex wants his brother to pay for what he done."

Nagisa cuddled with Rin and the two fell asleep while Makoto lied down next to Haruka on the floor and Rei looked at Alex sleeping.

"I promise I won't let you fight Rasputin alone," he whispered and he kissed Alex's hand while holding onto him. He sat down on the floor by him and fell asleep also.

* * *

**Castle Chirottori**

In the dark of the night, Pandora walked her way down the stairs and headed her way back to the Lab Chamber. She had heard from Tesseract and the monsters that the six stars have reunited but Alex has still not recovered his memories.

"Perfect," she growled to herself, "But…as long as he cannot remember…they cannot defeat us."

She arrived into a different chamber of the lab and walked up to a set of five gigantic tubes that held something inside. She tapped her fingers on one of the glass and smirked an evil grin.

"I haven't had a chance to play with these guys since they were kids," she muttered, "I'm excited to wake these precious children up also…"

Pandora walked over to a series of buttons and pressed on the activate which caused the tubes to stop glowing their sickly green color, causing the tubes to explode out as five human-like beings with wicked looking staffs they carried stepped down.

"It's time for you to wake up…my Chivashi," said Pandora.

Haruto hissed and bounced his way over to Reiji, Rikuto, Mariko, and Natsuhisa as the five male, monstrous entities glowed their eyes red with their black hair all stylized based from the stars. Neither of them could talk vocally but Pandora could hear their thoughts.

"I was hoping to continue testing for you, but it appears that the game has already begun," explained the mother Chiroptrean, "Your leader, Rasputin is waiting for you. Listen to his orders and follow the agenda."

The Chivashi hissed in reply that their powers weren't activated yet which made her realize that she had to add the Kraata Slugs and placed them on each of their exposed backs, awakening their powers as their staffs glowed with energy.

"Go…do not let the prophecy be fulfilled!" ordered Pandora.

The five summoned their staffs for levitation as they took in a seated-position and flew out the window, following the trace of Rasputin to join forces. She turned to the sundial and waited for Tesseract to return from his mission in Lha'li.

 _What's keeping him from getting that stupid book,_ she thought as she looked from the window.

* * *

By next morning, Rin was the first to wake up and saw the other sleeping still. Nagisa was resting on top of him and snored peacefully. The red-haired smiled and turned to see Rei and Alex but his eyes widened and gasped.

"Na-Nagisa, oi! Nagisa!" said Rin as she shook the blonde up on the shoulder.

"H-huh?" Rin?" yawned the blonde, "What's the matter?"

"He's gone!" he replied and shouted out, "Oi! Haru! Makoto! Rei!"

Haruka woke up and yawned, asking, "Wh-what's going on?"

Makoto opened his eyes and turned to the couch and saw Rei resting his hand on the couch but Alex was nowhere to be seen! The megane woke up and felt the empty space and gasped.

"W-w-what!? Alex!?" shouted Rei, "Wh-where did he go!?"

* * *

Outside, Alex made his way down the hill and headed out to the open road and led to the ruins of Iwamara. It was only a handful of days ago that he lived a happy life with his family…but now it was nothing to him anymore.

However, there was a small part of him that he was concerned with; Aki and Anya. He recalled that Aki was a bit cold to him a few times but Anya was always the cheerful one of the family. And now here he was, dealing with five other humans that he never met before, acting like a family of their own.

He felt a gust of wind breezing through his hair and heard birds crying a call in the distance. He continued to run, heading to the abandoned town to at least say goodbye.

* * *

Rei was already panicked by the scenario as he swore to be with Alex whether the Chiropteran liked it or not.

"Rei! Calm down," said Makoto, "I'm sure that there must be a way to find him!"

"Our necklaces," replied Haruka, "Maybe we can link our powers together."

"But what if he…!" began Rei.

"Rei-chan," answered Nagisa, "I'm sure we can find him. He might be strong but we'll make sure he's not that far!"

The five held their hands together in a circle and closed their eyes while their necklaces glowed, casting out various colors before them.

"We need to focus on our unity," said Rin, "With that, we can figure out where Alex went."

At first they felt silence between the circle but the glowing of the necklaces combined their inner strengths of their hearts and they could "see" visions before their eyes; revealing a scene of Alex running across the ruins of the town.

"W-where is he going?" asked Nagisa, "Can you see, Rei-chan?"

"I…I don't know…he's just running…" replied Rei.

Makoto felt a chill in his spine as he finally saw Alex entering to some old building or something but Haruka commented, "It…it looks like a bar or a café…?"

"Oh I know where he is now!" gasped Rei, "Come on!"

"Show us the way," smiled Nagisa.

Rei was already running out the door and the others followed, heading down the slopes and saw the sunrise before them. However, they had no time to stop to enjoy the sight as they ran through the big road and headed their way to the ruins of Iwamara.

* * *

Alex walked into the bar and sees it all empty and abandoned except for a box of photos and documents that were knocked over to the ground. He touched the counter and could feel the happy days he had while living here in this place.

He walked around the bar as he could feel the memories during his year here, missing those happy days in his heart. He remembered the laughter, the tears, the celebration, and more. At one point, he almost considered to go back up to his old room but it was too depressing already; all of the emotions were here at the bar. Alex stood by the bar where he began and touched the counter-top with his hand.

"A-aki…A-anya…m-mother," he muttered sadly, "W-why…why was I born to suffer like this?"

He wanted to cry to himself but he heard footsteps of running nearby. The boy turned to see the others standing by the doorway, breathing from the running.

"…why did you come here?" asked Alex, narrowing his eyes a little.

"W-why did you go here alone!?" replied Rei, all shocked and concerned, "We thought that you left us!"

"Alex-chan, at least tell us that you're leaving!" agreed Nagisa, "We were all worried and Rei was almost crying for you!"

Rei blushed a bit while Alex gripped on his sword and answered, " _That day…that fateful day when I first came here, I thought I would live happily, never to have realized who I was...and what I truly am._ _ **All I wanted was to come here and say goodbye at the least.**_ "

"Bu-but still," began Makoto.

"It's not fair on your part to hold the burdens," said Haruka.

Rin nodded in agreement and added, "Look, we may not understand completely about what happened to you, but we know a bit to understand your hard feelings. But that doesn't mean you can't hide yourself from us!"

"We are a team Alex! You have to tell us what's bothering you or we won't know how to help you!" said Nagisa.

"They are right Alex. You have to trust us and talk to us about it. Please don't ever leave like that..." said Rei.

Alex looked at the five young men before him; he couldn't decide to whether he should trust them or not. He was always alone in his life despite his support he got from "The Watcher's". Was it even a good thing to have such companions before him?

Finally he answered, "Th…the reason, why I wanted to go alone _...is because I…I fear that if you get involved, you'll be killed!_ "

Rin remained a bit silent on that part while Makoto was feeling a bit sad by this, prompting Haruka to hold his hand. Nagisa rushed up to Alex and hugged him as the hunter dropped his sword to the ground.

"Alex-chan," said the blonde, almost wanting to cry, "As long as we are together we won't be killed. There is always a person who will protect you!"

"For the team, that's what we promised!" agreed Rin.

"And we keep our promises!" added Rei while he also joined the hug, "Please Alex, don't worry!We know you won't let anything to happen to us and we won't let anything to happen to you!"

The Chiropteran released the hug from the blonde and megane and said, "If you're that determined…it will be a long nightmare ahead for all of you. None of you have the right weapons or the skills to fight. How will you be able to do this?"

"We got our necklaces!" smiled Rin as he showed his.

Haruka and Makoto followed after and Rei and Nagisa showed theirs as well while the monster picked up his katana and gripped on it again.

"Alex I'm 100% sure that soon we will defeat Rasputin and you will get back to your human self!" said Rei.

Rin walked up to them and adds on a hug, followed by Haruka and Makoto as the six stood together as one. At this point, Alex knew that he couldn't break away from this…however, **_it all felt familiar to him…this hug…was he really a part of their lives?_**

"Remember that you will **_always_** have us," added Rei.

"That and we will swim together! And have fun in the sun! Maybe we can have a sleepover?! Oh, Oh! I know what we should do; we will play Truth or Dare and paint our toenails!" laughed Nagisa.

"Hilarious, Nagisa…" smirked Rin.

Haruka felt like he wanted to strip off but couldn't while Makoto replied, "Well a truth or dare sounds like fun."

"I'm not so sure about painting my toenails...I don't think it would look beautiful..." blushed Rei.

"Not if we make a butterfly design!" replied Nagisa and Rei blushed.

Makoto chuckled and said, " ** _I swim…_** "

" ** _Free…_** " answered Haruka.

" ** _For the team!_** " smiled Rin.

" ** _To strive for all beauty!_** " nodded Rei as he does the megane look with his glasses.

" ** _For my precious bonds,_** " smiled Nagisa.

Alex's eyes suddenly widened as he saw a strange scene around him and saw a group of people hugging just like how it was right now but the scene showed a massive crowd of people flashing cameras at the group. His brain filled up with a single word in his mind that kept echoing again and again in his mind.

" ** _D-destiny…_** " said Alex, his eyes shaken by the mysterious visions.

Rin, Haruka, and Makoto gasped at the word as they remembered Alex talking about 'destiny' as his reason to swim. Is it possible that he is beginning to remember planet Earth and their lives together?

That single word...it was like igniting a fire from a match as the five were stunned and remembered that fateful day... _The Last Race!_

"Y-you said something!" gasped Nagisa, "Oh Alex-chan!"

"It's just a word though," replied the Chiropteran, "I don't know its significance…but it's probably something important."

"It is!" smiled Rei as he spilled a few tears of joy, "Oh my god Alex, _you have no idea how much **that word means to us!**_ "

"You're finally remembering," smiled Makoto as he was feeling happy in this moment while the group still hugged together as one.

"Even if it's just a one word, it means a lot to us!" said Nagisa.

"That…and I made a **_promise_** …but I don't know who I made it to," replied Alex.

"That's two!" said Haruka, smiling a bit, "Oh you have no idea how important this is for you and for us!"

"Once you get more memories, I'll give you a sexy nickname," laughed Rin.

Alex nodded and finally released himself from the hug and the others followed him outside to see the sunrise. The sun shined brightly all over, energizing them with a sense of renewal and hope for their future! They are a team, but not just an ordinary, they were the _**Magic Six!**_ Reborn in a new world but still have many trials to face.

"We'll start from here," said Makoto.

"Hell yeah!" agreed Rin, "We'll bring this world back to peace, recover your memories and magic back Alex...and we'll have a grand party together!"

"And we'll be together forever!" smiled Nagisa and held hands with Rin.

"We promise you… _and I promise you…_ _ **you won't be alone ever again!**_ " said Rei, "We're here now."

Their clothes transformed into Arabian form, including Alex's which stunned the Chiropteran at first but he somehow felt how warm it was...and yet it was also familiar. He saw the others looking at their outfits with amazement while Rin and Nagisa were just glad to have the full team in the same theme.

"O-our clothes!" gasped Haruka.

"The ones that we used to wear," smiled Makoto, holding his vase.

"So you got them all back," said Rin, "Even you Alex."

Rei took out his sword and smiled, "Well it's a good thing I can remember how to use this."

Nagisa pouted and said, "Lucky…I'm stuck with this spell book here."

"Nagisa!" echoed the voice of Suiei Hazuki, "Don't think you are useless because you don't have a sword. Do I need to remind you of your last fight? When you killed so many enemies using your spells? Do not belittle yourself! I believe in you and so do they!"

The other boys shared a sweat drop of nervousness and Alex finally smiled a bit as he saw them looking all battle ready which met his expectations. As for the Suiei Gods, the boys knew that there was hope for this world to save their final team member and to patch this world up.

"Well then," smiled the Chiropteran while he gripped on his sword.

"You seem a bit more cheerful now!" smirked Rin.

"Seeing that you all have weapons and ready, this will give us an edge," said Alex.

"It will, and we will win this battle!" replied Rei while Makoto nodded.

"We will join you," agreed Haruka, "You're not going to be alone for this!"

"For the team, whether we swim or we fight...no one gets left behind!" added Rin.

Alex nodded as he felt a gentle breeze sweeping through the town as a set of Sakura petals scattered around in the abandoned village and between him and the team standing before him.

"We will win this," said Rei, "And by that we can get your memories back so the team will be completed."

"Then," began Alex, "Let us go… I cannot guarantee what will the results be...but this is something we cannot fail."

"And we won't fail," smirked Nagisa.

The six stars...finally together, despite how much Alex can remember or not...at least two things were in his mind..." ** _destiny_** "...and a " _ **promise**_ ". Together, they begin to make their way out of the city, knowing that in order to fulfill this mission; they would have to start a "journey" as a team in order to make alliances and set up an army that will follow their path to save this world from the monsters as well as Rasputin.

But a dawn of shadow begins as the Chivashi are not far behind and time is running out. The world is at stake and a battle ahead can only determine one destiny…

**_A world of shadow…or a world of rebirth…_ **

* * *

**_-Book 1: The World of Isolation_ ** **_アイソレーションの世界_ ** **_END -_ **

_TO BE CONTINUED IN…_

**_-Book 2: Fellowship of the Magic Six_ ** **_マジックシックスのフェローシップ_ ** **_-_ **

_MAY 2014, The Battle for Planet Duniya Begins!_

**_...He shall become the will that destroys the heavens!_ **


End file.
